Things Change
He lay on his bed, eyes wide open, listening to the sound of the raindrops pounding the roof of his small, but comfortable, one story home in London. He found raindrops soothing. Raindrops, along with the over the counter sleeping pills he took every night help him sleep. He hadn't been able to sleep peacefully since *it* happened seven years ago. That's one of the many things he hasn't been able to do since *it* happened. Another thing he hasn't been able to do was smile. In fact, he didn't think he even remembered how to smile.
His boss at the video store, Frank Gallagher, keeps saying to him, "Ron, may I give you a suggestion? I like you a lot, your one of my best employees, but quite frankly, I'm tired of seeing you come in with those sad eyes and frown. If there's something bothering you, I think you should probably see a doctor about it. This is not healthy"
A doctor. Right. Like he could afford to see a doctor. And even if he could, what would he tell him? No, no one, not even a doctor, could know. His family would hate him if he knew. The doctor might even alert the police and have him thrown in jail. No, it's best to keep *it* a secret.
His family. He missed them terribly. He hadn't seen any of them in seven years. Only sent one owl to his mother. That was a few days after he left. He assured her that he was fine, and that he'll continue to be fine, and not to worry about him. Yeah, he ran away after he did the terrible thing. It was an accident, but no one could know anyway. They'd hate him. They wouldn't care that it was an accident. He couldn't bare the thought of his family hating him. So, he ran away late one night after everyone was asleep. He didn't leave a note or anything. Just left.
It's been tough for a while, this being on his own. He was only 18. Took the Knight Bus to muggle London. Slept on the streets for a week until he was approached by an elderly couple telling him that he could stay with them until he finds a job and a home. Until he gets back on his feet. He still doesn't know why they asked a complete stranger to live with them, but he knew why he accepted. Getting back on his feet sounded quite good and he was tired of sleeping under tunnels and stealing food. He lucked out. They were a very sweet and caring couple and he liked them a lot.
He didn't like the job situation either. Practically since he started Hogwarts, he had dreams of becoming an Auror. Those dreams had been shattered since *it* happened. He found all this out while looking for a job. Reading the applications and worrying about the "Education" section. What was he going to say? "Yeah, well, I graduated from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Is that good enough?" Right. No, that wouldn't work. He didn't know what to say. All the good jobs required some kind of education he didn't have. These people weren't wizards. They were muggles. Practically the whole muggle population didn't even know wizards exist. If he mentioned that, they'd probably lock him up in some kind of hospital for crazy people. He was about ready to give up, after being turned down for a job time and time again. The elderly couple he was living with had a son who had a friend who owned a video store. Pulling a few strings, he managed to score a job there. And being a wizard, videos were unknown to Ron. He was amazed. He began to understand why his father loved muggle inventions so much. Anyway, the job didn't pay much, but soon he was able to afford the small house he lives in now. But barely. This wasn't exactly the kind of job he thought he'd have at this time of his life, but at least it's not living on the streets.
Ron sighed and closed his eyes while continuing to listen to the rain. He couldn't lie. Many times, he almost broke down and went back to his family. He missed them so much. But he knew he couldn't. They'd want to know what made him run away, what made him leave them like that. He couldn't tell them his terrible secret.
He couldn't tell them that he accidently killed his father..
Chater Two up soon