Through The Eyes Of Ron
Chapter Six
Drift Away
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*~
Thank You: I would like to thank Juicy Blueberry Baby, Puffy Angel Cakes, Blood Red Rosez, Raina Lawrence, and Ron + Hermione = Love for the reviews. I can't thank you enough! Your reviews really make my day! I hope this was soon enough for you. Thanks so much!
Please Read: There may be some offensive material in this chapter and the next few to come. I'm not in a gang, I go to a school for not so good kids and know of a few people who are in gangs, but I'm a goody-goody two shoes, and have no involvement whatsoever in gangs, or drugs, or anything of the sort. I told y'all I have no life, and if I did it would be clear of the following situations.
"What in the hell is wrong with you?" Arthur Weasley asked outraged, as he stormed into the burrow.
Ron stood up quickly, as he was scared; he had never seen his father this angry before.
"Arthur, calm down!" Molly tried, standing up from the table, as she put the start to a sweater down.
Mr. Weasley didn't seem to hear her though. He slammed Ron up against the wall dangerously. Ron looked into his dad's angry eyes with fear. Mr. Weasley brought his hand back, but Mrs. Weasley grabbed it and pulled her husband away from her son.
"Ron, please go upstairs, I need to speak to your father." Molly said.
Ron edged his way around his father and went up the stairs with his father's angry gaze never leaving him.
"Molly, do you know what our son did?" Arthur asked furiously.
"Yes, but you don't, and you didn't see what you just did!" Molly said.
"I didn't hit him." Arthur said.
"You hurt him though. You scared him and you hurt him!" Molly said.
"I didn't hit him, how did I hurt him? Oh, because I pushed him? I thought he was going to run!" Arthur said.
"And he had every reason to do so. You came in his home cursing, angry, and violent. You didn't want to hear what happened, you only wanted to punish him for embarrassing you!" Molly said.
"And that was wrong? Molly, he was stealing items of his cousins, of my nephews! They gave him a home there, and he stole from them! Tell me that wasn't wrong!" Arthur said outraged.
"It isn't wrong if he didn't do it. I got your sister's letter, and I love Erin to death, but I don't think she knows everything. I'm not saying I know everything either, but Ron told me he didn't do it, and I believe him." Molly said.
"You're believing our son's word over my sister's? Molly, we weren't there! She was there! She found the items in his trunk." Arthur said.
"It doesn't mean he put them there. His cousins didn't like him. They planted them in his trunk so Ron would be sent away. I didn't raise my son to steal Arthur, and if you think Ron would try to steal from his cousins then you're calling me a bad mother." Molly said.
"Molly, you are probably the best mother there is, and you're in no way less than a perfect mother. However, Ron is a bad son. He's going to lie to you to save the skin on his back and to keep him from going to Bridgeton! Ron has learned how to lie very well from Fred and George, you're not a fool for believing him." Arthur said.
"If you don't believe Ron then just go back to work. You don't know Ron like I do. He doesn't lie, and he'd never lie to me." Molly said with hurt evident in her voice.
"Molly, I want to believe that he didn't do it, but I can't. He's been suspended four times from that last school for fighting and he's been expelled from Hogwarts, I can't believe my son didn't steal from my nephews, when his record shows evidence of similar behaviors!" Arthur said.
"Arthur, fighting and stealing are two different things! Think back three years ago, because you fought with Lucious, does that make you a thief? I wonder who Ron got the idea of fighting from." Molly said.
"Yes, think back about three years ago, dear do you remember who stole the car?" Arthur asked.
"Go back to work, I don't want to talk to you right now. You've upset me enough for one day, and it's not even noon!" Molly said.
"Well, which one of your relatives will let Ron in their homes with open arms? Erin is going to warn everybody, even on your side." Arthur said.
"I'll work something out, just leave!" Molly snapped.
"No. Get me a cup of tea, please. I know exactly the place to send Ron." Arthur said in a softer tone as he took out a piece of parchment, a quill, and some ink.
"Don't even think about writing Bridgeton!" Molly snapped snatching the quill from his hand.
"I wasn't planning on giving Lucious Malfoy the satisfaction of knowing that I put my own son in his friend's school. Though, if Ron messes up this time, I'm afraid that will be the case." Arthur said.
Mrs. Weasley handed the quill back to her husband and went over to the stove to make some tea. "Then who were you writing too?" Molly asked.
"Well, Isabelle lives in Spain, and since Ron doesn't speak a word of Spanish that won't work. Alexander lives in Russia, Andrew moved to Lithuania, Adam moved to France, Eric lives in Germany, and Erin threw Ron out, so that leaves Elizabeth." Arthur said.
"I don't recall Elizabeth. Does she live in an English speaking country, and do you think she'd have Ron?" Molly asked.
"Elizabeth lives in Massachusetts, and I don't reckon she'll mind Ron's transgression. Her youngest son is a bit of a handful as well." Arthur said taking a cup of tea from his wife.
Ron got off of the Knight Bus. "419 Washington Street, in Brighton, Massachusetts. That the address?" Stan Shunpike asked.
Ron nodded dragging his trunk off of the bus shakily. He had paid the Knight Bus Percy's money to get him to his aunt Elizabeth's house in the United States. Before Ron could say thanks the bus had left. Ron walked up to the house and knocked on the door.
A tall, slim woman with long red hair and a sweet freckled face opened the door. "You must be Ron. Come on in. I'm your aunt Elizabeth. Your cousin Josh is at school right now, but he'll be home this evening." Elizabeth said. She pointed her wand at Ron's trunk and muttered an incantation. It disappeared. "Don't worry now, I only moved it to your room upstairs. You're sharing a room with Joshua, you don't mind do you? He's a bit of a slob, but he's nice. He gets along with everybody."
"I don't mind at all. Thanks for letting me stay here." Ron said.
"It's not a problem. I got a letter from Erin the other day, and she said that you're a really good kid, and that she found out that you didn't steal from her. Jack, her youngest son, apparently told her what the boys had done, and their father asked them that night. Turns out they couldn't take the pressure of lying to their father's face." Elizabeth said.
Ron rolled his eyes in frustration, wishing his father could've read that letter.
"So, I'll enroll you in school on Monday. Are you Joshua's age, or are you a year older?" Elizabeth asked.
"I don't know. I'll be sixteen in March." Ron said.
"So Josh is two months older than you." Elizabeth said. "You'll still be in the same year I'm sure."
"Oh all right." Ron said.
"Do you want a cup of tea or anything? I haven't had tea with anybody, since before I came here." Elizabeth said.
"Sure. How long ago was that, that you came here?" Ron asked.
"Ages ago. As soon as I was out of Hogwarts and pregnant, I was gone, I always thought my parents would disown me, if they had known I was pregnant, and I always knew that my brothers would kill me, but not until after my sisters teased me." Elizabeth said.
"Do you miss it?" Ron asked.
"I miss my family, and the friends I had there. But I make friends wherever Josh and I move. I'd like to go home one day and show off Josh, but I'm lucky I can afford groceries for one week. I got a job and it pays well, but the pay goes to clothes, and food for Josh." Elizabeth explained pouring two cups of tea. "Josh won't sit down to have a cup a tea. The only drink he knows is coke."
Ron met Josh later that evening when he was putting his clothes into a dresser Elizabeth brought in. Josh had reddish-brown hair with freckles on his face. He and Ron were about the same height, though Ron was about an inch taller, and they both were skinny.
"I'm Ron." Ron said nervously.
"What's up? I'm Josh." Josh said shaking his cousin's hand. He seemed friendly enough until he saw Ron's sweater. "What's with the shirt?"
"My mum made it, we're poor." Ron admitted, his ears turning red.
"Don't sweat it. Here…" Josh went into his drawers and pulled out a navy blue sweatshirt. "Where this, I hate the color red."
"Thanks." Ron said. "You're sure you don't mind?"
"Not at all." Josh said. "Do you want to meet some people?"
"Sure." Ron said.
"Do you want a hat or a bandana?" Josh asked putting on a backwards hat.
Ron shrugged.
Josh handed him a navy blue bandana and had Ron wear it like a sports band.
"All right let's go. Oh, keep your hood up when we go outside, my mom hates bandanas." Josh said.
"Wait. Then, maybe I should wear a hat. I don't want to make your mum mad, I mean she is letting me stay here." Ron said.
"She won't care, but here, take this." Josh said. Josh handed Ron a navy blue Dallas Cowboy football hat. "Wear it backwards or sideways."
Ron followed Josh down the stairs.
"Mom, Ron and I are going out. I'm going to show him around, introduce him to my friends." Josh said.
"No you're not, I'm making dinner." Elizabeth said.
"Make it later." Josh argued.
"I already started it." Elizabeth said.
"Then we'll eat it later." Josh said annoyed.
"You'll eat it when its ready, or you won't eat it at all, and I want Ron to eat so you can go out, and Ron will meet you after dinner." Elizabeth called from the kitchen.
"Well, how long until dinner's going to be ready?" Josh asked.
"About an hour." Elizabeth said.
"We'll be back in forty-five minutes." Josh said.
"All right. Oh and Josh!" Elizabeth called.
"Yea?" Josh asked.
"Michael's coming over tonight, so I want you on your best manners, will you try?" Elizabeth asked.
Josh rolled his eyes. "I'll even take my hat off at the table." Josh said.
"Thank you sweetheart." Elizabeth said.
They left the house. It was cold, but not quite as cold as England, still it was cold. "Whose Michael?" Ron asked.
"My mom's boyfriend of the week. With you here this time, maybe he'll leave." Josh said.
"I don't want to be responsible for making your mother's boyfriend leave, I mean she is letting me stay here." Ron said.
"Trust me, with Michael, you won't want to stay here." Josh said.
"So your mother's not very good with relationships?" Ron asked.
"She would be. Plenty of wizards want her, but they don't exactly want me. Michael's one of those boyfriends who pretends to like me, but as soon as he marries my mom, he'll have me on the first bus to the middle of nowhere, but that's all right, because as soon as I know my mom's all right, I'm headed there anyway. But you don't know that, and you better not say anything." Josh said seriously.
"I think you're mum's fine right now, and its her responsibility to make sure you're all right, not the other way around." Ron said.
Josh rolled his eyes. "That's what you think, but life's not always like that. Come on, my friends are just around the corner here."
Ron followed Josh around the corner to find six people wearing black or navy blue wearing bandanas or hats. Out of the six people, three were black, two were Hispanic, and one was white.
"What's up, J? Whose your friend?" The other white kid asked. Ron was sure these guys were muggles.
"This is my cousin, Ron. He's from England and he's going to be living with me for a while. I figured I'd introduce him around, since he'll be here all the time." Josh answered.
One of the black teens started laughing.
"England? Have you ever heard of a Crip before?" The Hispanic boy asked.
Ron shrugged and turned to his cousin before looking back. "No, sorry." Ron said.
"Didn't think so. J, why do you gotta be so stupid? Bringing an ignorant English fool over here?" The Hispanic boy asked.
"Shut up Tony! He's my cousin, he's gonna be living with me. I can't let him stay at my house alone every evening. He's gonna be suspicious, and I don't need to be caught. My mom said one more mistake and she'll send me to a boarding school. He knows to repeat nothing, and it's not like he knows anybody else to repeat it to." Josh said.
"Well let's make sure the English fool won't tell." Tony said.
"Not now, we got to make an appearance at dinner. Tomorrow after we get out of school." Josh said.
"Look, Ronnie, nothing of what you know gets repeated to anybody, do you got that? If J and you don't show up tomorrow, we'll find you and kill you, and even if you rat on all of us, we've got connections. The Crips is a gang that started in L.A., and now we're in Brighton, a small town nobody knows about. So, if you say a word to anybody, it'll be your last word. Do you got that?" Tony asked.
Ron nodded. "I understand." Ron said seriously.
Everybody laughed.
"We'll see you tomorrow then, and you'll get introduced correctly." One of the black guys said.
"See you tomorrow then." Ron said causing the group of six to laugh as he followed Josh back to the house.
"You heard them, not a word gets said, or I get put away, and I can't help you." Josh said.
"I said I understand, didn't I?" Ron asked.
"You said it, but hopefully you'll mean it, and I say that for your sake." Josh said.
"Josh, were those muggles or wizards?" Ron asked.
"Muggles, I was the only wizard in Brighton before you came along, everybody else lives in Salem. I get along with wizards, but they don't know about the Crips, and nobody can either, do you understand? We could get in serious muggle trouble, and I figure I can trust you, because you don't need anymore, and I don't need to get caught. Oh, and avoid any muggles wearing red. If they run at you, be prepared to fight, but otherwise avoid them. They're the bloods, the crips enemy. The Bloods also wear the letter B on some articles of clothing. When we're out in muggle territory, always wear a hat or a bandana, and never look up." Josh said.
"All right." Ron said.
"Take off your bandana and stuff it in your pocket before you enter the house. Then take your hat off at the dinner table and just act normal, because my mom's looking to impress Michael." Josh said.
"All right." Ron said untying his bandana and shoving it in his pocket. As they opened the door Ron took off his hat and entered.
"Ron, Josh? Is that you?" Elizabeth asked.
The boys walked into the kitchen.
"Ron, did you change your shirt?" Elizabeth asked.
"Yea, he couldn't have made as many friends with that sweater." Josh explained.
"Well, on Sunday we'll go shopping all right?" Elizabeth asked.
"That's all right, I have other shirts." Ron said quickly.
"Ron, sweetheart it's my treat, your parents won't owe me anything." Elizabeth said reassuringly.
The door opened. A man wearing a suit entered the house and came into the kitchen.
"Is he a wizard?" Ron whispered to Josh. Josh nodded.
"So you don't wear robes over here?" Ron asked.
"Not out of work or school." Josh explained. "Its too risky."
"Hello, sweetie." Michael said walking over to Elizabeth. Ron looked down, while Josh coughed as Michael kissed his mother. "Joshua, I didn't realize we were having company. Why don't you introduce us?"
Joshua gave an annoyed look to Ron but forced his smirk into a smile. "Ron, this is my mother's friend Michael. This is Ron, my cousin who's going to be living with us for a while." Joshua said.
"When did we make this decision?" Michael asked turning to Elizabeth.
"Ron's my nephew, and a well-behaved young man. His parents asked if Ron could spend some time over here with us, and I'm not going to say no to my brother, and Ron's a very sweet boy." Elizabeth said.
"How much time are we talking about?" Michael asked.
"About a year or two." Elizabeth said.
"Why didn't you consult this with me first?" Michael asked.
"Michael, you're making my nephew feel very unwelcome here. This is my house, and he is my nephew. Josh is sharing his room with him; it's a small difference. He'll be at school most of the time. He won't bother you at all." Elizabeth said.
"My apologies, Ron." Michael said before turning back to his wife. "Dear, I'm sorry. You're right, and I'm sure Ron will be a good influence on Joshua."