Through The Eyes Of Ron
Chapter Eleven
Bridgeton
Disclaimer: I own nothing 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 apologize to and thank curly29 for her review! I'm so sorry, I didn't see it until after I posted Chapter Ten, but I do thank you so very much for your review and suggestion. Your suggestion is close to my idea, though Ron will be in Bridgeton for a bit longer than a few days, but I promise he won't finish his wizarding education there, and as much as I love the suggestion of Lucious accidentally getting killed, I can't kill anybody, though maybe something will happen to Lucious in future chapters. Good ideas though! I would also like to thank Jenny, Juicy Blueberry Baby and Nugristiel08lg for their reviews! I had to make Mr. Weasley this way, and you'll see why in future chapters. I hope this chapter is soon enough for all of you! Thanks so very much for all of your reviews, none of them are unappreciated, thanks so very much again!
Ron walked reluctantly into the Bridgeton Wizarding School. Everywhere he looked, all he saw were bars. Bars on the front gate, a barred door, and the school had countless barred windows.
Ron had been checked out at St. Mungo's earlier, and they had fixed Ron's dislocated arm properly. Muggles could pop it back into place, but that didn't mean it would stay in place permanently. The mediwizards said that muggles sometimes had to use surgery to prevent the shoulder from dislocating every now and then, and it was imperative for them to fix it properly, because if Ron were to get into any fights at Bridgeton, which his parents didn't doubt he would for a second, then his shoulder would most likely dislocate again and the kids in Bridgeton could do worse damage to it.
The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, who was with the Weasley's, knocked on the door and rang the doorbell to the school. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley stood behind him with Ron in between them.
Ron heard several clicking sounds as somebody unlocked the door. Ron saw the doorknob turn and the inside door opened. The barred door remained shut, but they could see the man at the door. The man was white and looked to be in his forties, possibly his fifties. The man had shaved brown hair and was very fit. He wore a white uniform under his black robes.
"Headmaster Campbell?" Fudge asked.
"Yes sir, how might I help you?" The Headmaster asked peering at Fudge contemplatively.
"I'm Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, and this is Arthur and Molly Weasley and their son Ronald. Might we speak inside?" Fudge asked.
"Of course, Minister, just a minute please." The Headmaster said and he pulled out a key ring and unlocked the barred door allowing the four people to enter.
Ron looked around the entrance hall. There was one huge staircase that led to the floor above and Ron saw that the corridor upstairs had plenty of rooms. Ron looked to his right and saw what appeared to be a dining room with one long table and about twenty chairs placed around it; nine places on each side with another chair on each end.
The Headmaster guided his guests to the right towards an office room. Ron passed another room as he followed the Headmaster, but the door was shut. Ron thought this place looked like a rich person's mansion home, rather than a school.
The Headmaster closed the door with a wave of his wand once everybody was in the room. There were three seats across from the Headmaster's seat behind his desk, but the Headmaster summoned another seat from the corner and everybody sat down.
"How might I help you folks?" Headmaster Campbell asked kindly.
"Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's son, Ronald was forced to leave Hogwarts last November when he fought with another student. The other student's father threatened to press charges against the Weasley's, the school, and the Ministry if Ronald were to attend another day at Hogwarts, and since the Weasley's live in the United Kingdom, this is the only other school in the country Ronald may attend, and it was actually recommended by the other student's father. He actually said he was friends with somebody here, perhaps you heard of him, Lucious Malfoy?" Fudge asked.
"Lucious recommended this school? How very interesting I find that. I've been trying to get his kid to come here for years so he doesn't take the same wrong roads his father did. I apologize. So, er… Ronald hasn't been in school for five months?" Headmaster Campbell asked with concern.
"No, no… he has attended school up until late February, as I understand it." Fudge said looking to Mr. Weasley for confirmation.
"So what was wrong with his other school?" Headmaster Campbell asked.
"The schools were fine sir, I can assure you, but my son's behavior was unacceptable outside of school." Arthur said.
"The schools? Has he been to more than one since he left Hogwarts?" Headmaster Campbell asked.
"After he left Hogwarts, he attended Cork, Ballycastle, and his last placement was in the Salem School, but then he disappeared for a bit, and his behavior has just grown worse with each placement, and as much as I don't want to do this, I was hoping that you might accept my son to your school. Mr. Malfoy has assured us that this school is more of a prison, and that a few months to a year here, and Ron would clean up his act." Arthur said.
"Was Ron kicked out of his last three schools?" Headmaster Campbell asked peering at Ron pensively for a moment before turning back to Mr. Weasley.
"No, though he had been suspended from Ballycastle for fighting." Arthur said with shame in his voice.
"How long would you like your son to stay here?" Headmaster Campbell asked Mr. Weasley.
"Lucious Malfoy requested that Ron attends here at least a year, or until you and other personnel believe he's rehabilitated and able to attend Hogwarts in a more mature manner." Fudge said.
Ron looked down at the floor, as all hope was lost. Anger raced through him, but Ron was still too exhausted to care anymore. He'd be in this place a year, and a month in this facility looked too long.
"All right, well there's some paperwork that needs to be filled out." Headmaster Campbell said.
"The Deputy Headmistress owled it to me this morning, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley have signed in the right places, as have I. Let us know if we forgot a page." Fudge said.
Headmaster Campbell looked through the pages and then looked back up at the four people in front of him.
"All right. This appears to be in order. If you aren't sure that you want your son to attend here, you may change your mind and I'll burn the paperwork, however, I can only give you twenty-four hours to rethink your decision." Headmaster Campbell said.
"We think this is best for Ron, so we don't need twenty-four hours to reconsider, but we appreciate the option. This is our last hope for Ron to ever continue his wizarding education, and if you're being so kind to let him attend here, we're not going to say no." Molly said.
"Mr. Weasley, you said this school is more of a prison, but I want to correct you on that. We're very strict here, and we don't tolerate fighting or any misconduct. If your son should act up, we will punish him, and whether it's by isolating him with solitary confinement or making him do chores, he will be punished. The students here are monitored closely, and nobody runs away or gets away with any crimes they perform, and their grounds privileges are very limited, as are all privileges here. If they want something they have to earn it, and if that's what you meant by this school being a bit like a prison, then I understand why you would say that, but it's more of a very strict school. We will take the place of the parents, and we do teach the kids how to take care of themselves and stay out of trouble as well as help them with their magical education, which Ron will catch up on very quickly. Are you still sure you want your son to attend here?" Headmaster Campbell asked.
"Yes." Arthur said.
"All right then, do you need us to provide your son with books?" Headmaster Campbell asked.
"He has his books from Hogwarts, if your Professors don't teach from his books, then give me a list of what he needs, and I'll get whatever it is he needs." Molly said.
"Since he has his books from Hogwarts there won't be a need for any other books." Headmaster Campbell said.
"Is there some type of uniform Ron needs to have?" Molly asked.
"Yes, but we take care of that. We'll get his measurements after this meeting, but until his uniform is made, he can keep what he's wearing on." Headmaster Campbell said.
"He has more appropriate clothes with him, such as his Hogwarts uniform, he was just being defiant and refused to change before we left." Molly said.
"Well don't worry, he won't be wearing them again until he leaves here, and if he's defiant that won't be for a long time to come." Headmaster Campbell said.
"Are we done here?" Fudge asked. "Arthur and I have to get back to work."
"Almost. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, I'll need you to come visit your son at least once a month. Preferably, we want you to come in for a conference once a week, but if work comes first, then once a month will be all right." Headmaster Campbell said.
"That won't be a problem. Thank you." Arthur said shaking the Headmaster's hand.
"One more thing before you leave. What year was Ron in?" Headmaster Campbell asked.
"He was attending his fifth year." Molly said standing up and shaking the Headmaster's hand. "Thank you so much for allowing my son to come here. If there's anything you need us to send, just owl us, and if you can't handle Ron, just send him home. We'll understand completely. It won't be the first time."
"We don't send students home unless they're rehabilitated. Your son won't be a problem, and your son will be provided with everything he needs." Headmaster Campbell said walking the Weasley's and Fudge out of the room. "Ron, stay there, Madam Moore will be there in a moment to get measurements for your uniform."
The Headmaster left, shutting the doors behind him, leaving Ron alone.
It was ten minutes before somebody entered the office. A young woman wearing a white uniform came in with a bag and sat it down on the Headmaster's desk. The woman was in her late thirties or early forties, and her dark brown hair was pulled back into a bun.
"You must be Ronald Weasley. I'm Madam Moore the school's nurse. Do you prefer to be called Ronald or Ron?" Madam Moore asked.
"Ron." Ron answered.
"I'm just going to take your measurements for your uniform." Madam Moore said pulling a magical tape measure out of her bag. She had a clipboard with her as well as a quill and inkbottle that she recorded Ron's measurements with.
"All right." Madam Moore said once she had gotten all the measurements she needed. "Headmaster Campbell wants you to wait here for him, and then he'll show you around."
Ron sat back down in the chair. He was so exhausted. He hadn't even been home for twenty-four hours before his parents brought him to St. Mungo's. All he had wanted to do was sleep in his own bed for at least an hour, but he hadn't even been up to his room in the little time he was home.
The door opened again and Headmaster Campbell reentered the office. He shut the door behind him and sat behind his desk. He looked at Ron who looked away.
"Ron, would I be wrong in assuming that you don't enjoy school?" Headmaster Campbell asked.
Ron shrugged.
"Well do you enjoy school or not?" Headmaster Campbell asked.
"I don't like it unless I have friends there." Ron said.
"Did you have friends at Hogwarts?" Headmaster Campbell asked.
"Yes." Ron said.
"So, you enjoyed your education at Hogwarts?" Headmaster Campbell asked.
Ron hesitated but nodded.
"Did you wish to leave Hogwarts?" Headmaster Campbell asked.
Ron shook his head no.
"And how about Cork, did you have friends there that you liked that school?" Headmaster Campbell asked.
Ron nodded.
"Did you wish to leave Cork?" Headmaster Campbell asked.
Ron shook his head no.
"So why did you leave Cork? Your parents said you weren't kicked out." Headmaster Campbell asked.
Ron shrugged.
"You don't know why you had to leave?" Headmaster Campbell asked.
"No." Ron lied.
"Well I'll owl the Cork school and find out for you." Headmaster Campbell said.
"I don't really care." Ron said.
"Well what about the Ballycastle school? You were suspended a few times, if you liked that school, wouldn't you have tried to behave?" Headmaster Campbell asked.
"I never said I liked it." Ron said.
"No friends there?" Headmaster Campbell asked.
Ron shook his head.
"And Salem?" Headmaster Campbell asked.
"For the day I was there, I didn't meet anybody interesting." Ron said.
"So where did you disappear to?" Headmaster Campbell asked.
"California." Ron said.
"What was there?" Headmaster Campbell asked.
"Free money." Ron said.
"How is that possible?" Headmaster Campbell asked.
"Run an errand for somebody and come out alive, that's how it's possible." Ron said smartly.
"We'll talk more later, right now I'll show you around." Headmaster Campbell said.
Ron stood up and followed the Headmaster out of his office.
"That as you can tell is my office. I'm there to listen if you ever want to talk. You can see the dining room is straight ahead. You'll eat your breakfast, lunch, and dinner in there." Headmaster Campbell said.
Headmaster Campbell pulled out his key ring and guided Ron to the closed door that Ron had passed earlier near the Headmaster's office. Headmaster Campbell unlocked the door and followed Ron into the corridor before locking the door behind them. The corridor had doors on both sides of the hallway.
"This first room on your left is the Transfiguration classroom, and Professor Clayton is our Transfiguration teacher here." Headmaster Campbell said pulling out another key and unlocking the door to the Transfiguration classroom. He opened the door and a class of about ten people looked to Ron and the Headmaster standing in the doorway.
Ron noticed that all of the desks had been pushed up to the front of the classroom and that the students were all standing around the classroom.
Professor Clayton was a Professor in his early thirties, and he had short blonde hair and wore glasses.
Ron looked at the students. All of them were tall, and all of them had the same hair cut. It was shaved in the back, with a very short layer on top. All of them wore white uniforms, and they didn't wear robes.
"Professor Clayton, I apologize for interrupting, but I wanted to introduce you to our new student, Ron Weasley." Headmaster Campbell said.
"Ah, a pleasure to meet you Mr. Weasley. I look forward to teaching you." Professor Clayton said walking up to Ron and shaking his head.
Ron nodded, but didn't say anything.
"Well, we'll let you get back to your class. Come along Ron." Headmaster Campbell said. Ron followed the Headmaster out of his classroom. Headmaster Campbell locked the door and they walked across the hall to the first classroom on the right.
Headmaster Campbell unlocked the door to the classroom, and Ron walked into the back of the Potions classroom, where there were no more than ten students brewing Potions with a Professor talking to one of the students, up front. Ron noticed that all of the students in this classroom had the same haircuts and uniforms, and they too looked to be former students of Durmstrangs from the way they were built.
The Professor patted the student she was helping on the shoulder and stood up, just seeing the Headmaster and Ron in the doorway.
"Good afternoon Headmaster." The Professor said. The Professor was shorter than Ron, and she had blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. Ron couldn't be sure how old this Professor was. She could've passed as a student at Hogwarts or Beauxbatons.
"Good afternoon Professor Beaumont, this is our new student, Ron Weasley." Headmaster Campbell introduced.
"A pleasure to meet you Ron. I hope to teach you soon." Professor Beaumont said.
Ron was taken to every classroom down the corridor including Muggle Studies, Arithmancy, and Ancient Runes, which Headmaster Campbell said Ron would be taking as well as Divination, and Care of Magical Creatures, and all of his mandatory classes. Headmaster Campbell said that Ron would be tutored to catch up to where the rest of the fifth years were at, and that included the two and a half years of lessons he didn't have of Muggle Studies, Arithmancy, and Ancient Runes, and he would be tutored in all of his regular classes to catch up from where he missed when he ran away. The Headmaster reassured Ron that he had nothing to worry about, because in one tutoring session, Ron could learn what most students learned in a week.
Headmaster Campbell locked the door to the school wing behind him as they left. Then he brought Ron upstairs. "Up here are the dorms. You're a fifth year, so your dorm will be down this corridor." Headmaster Campbell said unlocking the fifth door from the right. He opened the door to another corridor with five rooms on each side of the hall. Headmaster Campbell locked the door behind him and led Ron to the back of the corridor.
Ron looked out the barred window, while Headmaster Campbell unlocked Ron's door. There was a large yard out back, and surrounding it, was a cement wall with a barred fence behind it.
Headmaster Campbell opened the door to Ron's dorm. Inside the room were a bed, a closet, and a desk. Ron's trunk was also there with a white uniform laid on top of Ron's made bed. The room was painted white, and there wasn't a single window, however Ron did see another door next to his closet.
"Great, you're uniform's here. Madam Moore is quick, isn't she? Why don't you go change in the bathroom?" Headmaster Campbell asked pointing to the door next to Ron's closet.
Ron looked at the uniform with disgust. He picked up his pants, shoes, and shirt and went inside the bathroom. Minutes later he came out with his folded sweatshirt, jeans, and sneakers in his arms. His uniform was a white shirt, with black buttons down the center, white slacks, and black shoes. Despite the fact, that they were brand new and they fit, Ron didn't like the uniform.
Ron finally looked up at the Headmaster, and when he did, he was outraged. While Ron had been in the bathroom, the Headmaster had been going through his trunk. All of Ron's books, and his cauldron were piled on his desk.
"Ah, you look much more respectable now." Headmaster Campbell said taking Ron's clothes and shoes out of his hand. Headmaster Campbell threw the clothes into the trunk before shutting it. He picked it up.
"Excuse me, what are you doing with my stuff?" Ron asked with disbelief.
"Your stuff belongs to me until you leave here. You have your uniform and your school supplies. You won't be needing any of this." Headmaster Campbell said.
"That's my stuff! I just can't go through a year with this stupid uniform!" Ron said outraged.
"Who do you think you're talking to with that tone?" Headmaster Campbell asked sharply.
"You! You have no right to touch my stuff! My parents either made or bought me everything in my trunk, and you can't have it!" Ron said angrily.
"Your parents made or bought your things, your parents signed you to our custody. Therefore, I have every right to take your stuff away. As I said before you'll get it back when you leave, but until then it belongs to me. And for your information, you won't have to go through a year with only your respectable uniform. We supply a pair of pajamas for you, as well, so at night we can clean your uniform." Headmaster Campbell said unlocking the dormitory door so that he could leave.
"Where's my owl?" Ron asked angrily. "I want to write a letter."
"Write a letter. You have everything you need on your desk. You can have your owl to mail out letters on Sundays if you don't lose that privilege." Headmaster Campbell said. He put Ron's trunk outside into the corridor. "Breakfast is at six o'clock tomorrow morning. You won't be eating dinner tonight. I won't give food to a disrespectful mouth."
With that said the Headmaster shut the door behind him as he left and locked Ron in the room. Ron punched the wall in anger putting a hole in it.
Ron sat on the bed waiting for the Headmaster to come back. He knew he was coming back sooner or later, because he must've heard the punch, but when he didn't come back after quarter of an hour, Ron went to his desk and wrote letters to his sister and brothers as well as to Harry, Hermione, and Josh.
After writing five long letters, Ron laid down on his bed torn between boredom and exhaustion. Just as he was about to fall asleep, somebody was unlocking his door.
Headmaster Campbell entered the room and walked over to Ron. "You need to get up and come downstairs now." Headmaster Campbell said.
"I don't need to do anything." Ron mumbled.
"Yes you do." Headmaster Campbell said grabbing Ron and pulling him up by his ear.
"Ow! Let go of me." Ron said pulling away from the Headmaster finally breaking free of his grip. Ron rubbed his ear.
"What happened to this wall?" Headmaster Campbell asked.
"What should've happened to you." Ron said nastily.
"I'd deprive you of your breakfast privileges, but I think you'll be sorry enough when you go downstairs. Now do I have to pull you by your ear or will you walk?" Headmaster Campbell asked.
Ron rolled his eyes and walked past the Headmaster, though covering his ears protectively.
Ron followed the Headmaster out of his dorm, and out of the corridor, down the stairs, into the school corridor, and into the nurse's office, which was at the very end of the school wing.
Headmaster Campbell shoved Ron roughly into a chair, and waved his wand to magically bind him there.
"Ron, you might have noticed that as well as the uniform our students all have the same haircuts." Headmaster Campbell said.
"Please don't cut my hair! I promise I'll be good and I'll fix the wall, and I won't ever speak in the way I did today if you don't cut my hair! Please!" Ron cried desperately.
He couldn't picture himself with the same haircut everybody else had, nobody else had red hair, and nobody else had his face. He was already a new student and he'd be here for at least a year, he didn't need everybody making fun of him during that whole year. Besides, Ron was planning on growing his hair to be a bit long, not as long as Bill's hair, but longer than normal.
"There are other ways to make you fulfill that promise. It's a school rule, just like the uniform. It's so that nobody in the school can say anything against you, because they have the same uniform and haircut that you do and will have." Headmaster Campbell said.
Ron stomped his foot angrily as he saw Madam Moore pick up a pair of scissors.
Later that evening, Ron lay awake feeling the back of his head. He still had hair there, but it was like peach fuzz. There was still a layer of hair on top of his head, and he looked all right, but still, he was mad. He didn't have control of his life anymore, and he hated that.