Disclaimer: You might think that I own Harry Potter. If you thought that, then you would be a fool. I don't. (Don't worry too much, though—I won't think any less of you for it.)
Chapter 6
-OR-
"'Ickle-Ronnie's' Return"
Ron bolted up the stairs, any trace of his earlier dizziness gone. He flew through the door and almost collided with Dobby, who was bustling around the kitchen, working on dinner.
"Dobby is sorry, sir, but he did not see the Wheezy coming!" The house-elf scurried out of Ron's way.
"You're fine, Dobby, it's fine," he said. "Where's my sister?"
"Is that my brother?" called a voice from the next room.
"Ginny!" yelled Ron, bowling over Dobby as he raced for the door.
He flew around the corner and into the room and saw Ginny. She was taller now, but still had a slight figure. Her trademark Weasley-red hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she wore sleek, sporty-looking robes and a big smile.
"Ron!" She ran up to him and gave him a hug. They looked at each other for a moment, both trying to get used to Ron being the younger of the two of them. She grinned even more widely. "I can't believe it! It's really you!"
"And look at you! All grown up, and...and..." He took another look at his sister. She was indeed grown up, and Ron had to get used to that fact. She just laughed.
"Oh, Ron...I'm so happy to see you." A single tear trickled down her face, but she wiped it away in a hurry. "Neville will be here as soon as he can. He had a meeting that he just couldn't get out of, you know how those Ministry people are...Oh!" she said. "Neville--Longbottom, you know-- we..."
"I know," said Ron. "Harry and Hemione told me last night."
"To prepare you for the shock, huh? Well, he was so happy to hear...we thought it was some sort of joke, or mistake, or something! But here you are!"
Harry walked into the room and gave Ginny a hug, too. "Welcome, Mrs. Longbottom," he said. He moved to sit by Hermione.
"Thank you, Mr. Potter," said Ginny, in a mock-serious voice. Then she laughed. "Ron, how are you? How are you feeling?"
"Uh, well, pretty good, thanks. Just a little bewildered, I guess..."
"I can't even imagine," she said, nodding in agreement. "Well, c'mon? Won't you sit by your little sister? Except that she's older than you are now...." she teased. Ron took a seat next to his sister, who promptly began peppering Ron with questions.
"You know," he interrupted, "there's really not a lot to tell from my end. I just woke up here, that's all. It's not like I've been on a trip or something." Ginny would have none of it.
"C'mon, you're no fun!" she said, sounding, for a moment, like she was again a teenaged girl. "What do you think of the future? Is it all you thought it'd be?"
"Well, excepting for me not being a part of it...." Ron thought about the question for a moment. What do I think of the future? Am I happy with how it turned out? He shook off his thoughts. "Well, Dad's Minister of Magic and all..."
"Yeah! Isn't that neat? We were so proud when Dumbledore appointed him Senior Undersecretary to the Minister, and then when Dumbledore left...there was Dad! It was great! How'd you know about that?"
"Uh...I read the Daily Prophet yesterday. He was mentioned in an editorial." There's another thing, thought Ron, whatever happened to Dumbledore? Why didn't Harry finish his story from last night?
"Oooooohhhhhh," cooed Ginny, "did you? Did you read all of it?" Ginny wagged her eyebrows. "Did you get to the sports page?"
"Uh, no, not really. I just sort of skimmed the front section. Why?"
Ginny feigned disappointment. "You mean you didn't check the Quidditch box scores?"
"No, wh..." Ron stopped, noticing for the first time the Chudley Cannons emblem sewn onto the breast of Ginny's uniform. "Are you? I mean? You?" He pointed clumsily at her robes.
"I was wondering when you'd notice!" Ginny laughed. "I'm a Chaser! It was really unexpected, you know? But they wanted me when I was done with Hogwarts," she said, shrugging. "What could I say? I..." She cleared her throat. "I always knew were your favorites, Ron. I knew you'd approve." Her smile was a bit more watery this time.
"My sister! A pro Quidditch player!" Ron jumped up and shouted it again. "I can't believe it! And we never used to let you play!"
"You wouldn't believe the human-interest story that made...Rita Skeeter had a holiday..." She gave Ron a big wink. "I can get you tickets, anytime you want. We have a home game this Sunday, you know."
"I'd love it," said Ron. "Now, tell me all about it--the other players, your record, everything!"
Before she could start, however, there was a knock at the door. Hermione swiftly got up to answer it, but from his seat, Ron followed her as she left to get the newest guests. She returned with...
"Mom! Dad!" Ron jumped up to greet his parents. His mother gave him a very tight, very teary hug while his father just watched with a hint of a smile. Mr. Weasley first offered his hand to Ron, then pulled him in for a hug.
"Ronald Weasley! Look at you!" said his mother. "Back here! And alive! Do you know how worried we've been?" Before Ron could answer, she shrugged it off and hugged him again. "And you're just like you were ten years ago! When you went off and fooled around with that machine." She was still crying. Seeing that his father was desperately trying to get a word in, Ron extricated himself from his mother's death-grip hug and stood by his father.
"Ron...it's been a long time. I can't tell you how glad I am to see you...and I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner..."
"Dad, it's all right. I know you're the Minister of Magic."
"He is indeed, Ron. YOUR FATHER! Minister of Magic! I always told him that if he just kept working hard..." Mrs. Weasley continued to talk, but Hermione offered her a cup of tea so that Ron could have a word with his father.
"The American Minister sends his regards, too, Ron. I had to leave a conference, you know." Mr. Weasley shrugged. "But I was glad to do it to see my boy! I knew it would take more than a little bang to get rid of a Weasley!" Ron noticed his father looked more confident and lively than when he had last seen him.
"I can't tell you how proud I am of you, Dad. Minister of Magic!" Mr. Weasley's ears turned red. "And Ginny, here, Chaser for the Cannons! Is the rest of the family this successful?"
"Well, those two," said Mrs. Weasley, not needing to explain to whom she was referring, "are still running that shop."
"But are doing very well there, Molly, you have to admit." Mr. Weasley turned to Ron. "They've expanded, you know--they have a branch in Hogsmeade now, and are looking into overseas investment. Quite the big shots..."
"Most successful Weasleys not to graduate," added Mrs. Weasley. "And Bill--he couldn't come, you know, he's on vacation with the family--is still working for Gringott's here in London. We've got three little grandchildren, now, we do!" Mrs. Weasley started to fish in her purse for pictures while Mr. Weasley helped himself to a cup of tea. "Here," she said at last. Ron could tell with one look that Bill had ended up marrying Fleur, the half-veela. All three of the children--two girls and a boy--had shimmering, strawberry blond hair. The boy giggled and waved a bit from his picture; the two girls were enjoying a nap. Ron handed the pictures back to his mother.
"What about Charlie?"
"Charlie's overseas still, studying dragons. He's in China, now, I think," said Mr. Weasley. "He moves around quite a bit. He got married, too, to Tonks, that Auror."
"Very nice girl," said Mrs. Weasley, with an approving nod. "She takes good care of my boy. Bit clumsy, though."
"What about Percy?" His question instantly silenced the room.
"Your brother," started Mrs. Weasley, "went and got himself killed." Ron couldn't tell if his mother was more angry or upset.
"What your mother means," said Mr. Weasley, "is that Percy died when V-Voldemort attacked the Ministry of Magic. See, not too long after you, ah, well, died isn't the word..."
"Mr. Weasley, Ron knows about everything up to the fall of Voldemort. We told him last night," said Harry. Mr. Weasley was visibly relieved.
"Well, he--Percy, I mean, of course--he was in Fudge's office. He tried to stop what was going on, and, well, that was that." Mr. Weasley tried to smile, and Mrs. Weasley started to cry.
"He still wasn't talking to us when he died," she wailed. "He still refused to acknowledge his own family!" She started to sob uncontrollably, and Ginny tried to help take her out of the room. Mrs. Weasley shook her daughter off and stopped crying. If the silence after Ron's question was awkward, then the new silence filling the room was absolutely stifling. Hermione finally cleared her throat and spoke.
"Ron, we were going to tell you last night. We just didn't think that..."
"No, you're fine. It's just a bit of a shock, I guess. He was always a git, but I never thought that...I mean, I would never have..." He trailed off as he tried to think of something else to talk about. Finally he decided to return to politics, saying, "Well, Dad, I saw yesterday that the Daily Prophet had all sorts of good things to say about you. Quite a bit different from what I remember."
Mr. Weasley nodded. "Yes, they really have had a change of heart, haven't they? I still get the benefits of being on Dumbledore's side when we fought You-Know-Who. Now they're all for just about anything I say."
"Nonsense," said Mrs. Weasley. "They support you because you're right." She nodded decisively. "Ron, your father has done more to support Muggle-wizard relations than any other Minister I've ever seen. And he does quite a bit for our relations with all magical creatures."
"Speaking of which," said Ginny, "where's Dobby?"
Hermione gave an impatient snort. "He's cooking. I tried to get him to join us, but he said that he preferred working."
"Er, yes, house-elves are like that," said Mr. Weasley. Ron got the impression that this was one subject that everyone still shied from in Hermione's presence. At that moment, though, there was a loud crack at the fireplace. A wizard in plain, well-worn gray robes with graying hair to match stepped out. He looked towards Ron.
"Ron Weasley! What a pleasant surprise!" called Remus Lupin. He turned to Hermione. "Minerva and Rubeus will be here shortly." He walked up to Ron and shook his hand. "Welcome back, I guess."
"Thanks, Professor," said Ron. He gave the man an appraising look. His former professor had aged gracefully--certainly more so than Harry had. His clothes, while still worn out, were no longer patched, and Lupin wore them well. Thinking of nothing else to say, Ron said, "You're looking well."
"So do you, for a guy who's been thrown through time and had a nasty landing at the end of his flight," said Lupin with a smile. "You're feeling okay?"
"Yeah," said Ron. "A little dazed, I guess. I mean, everyone here has done so much...I suppose you've found a cure for werewolf bites and reinvented the Philosopher's Stone or something."
"No, Ron, I'm just a simple schoolteacher. That's all."
"You teach? At Hogwarts?"
"Yup. I guess when everyone saw what I did for the Order, my being a werewolf got to be less important. So I'm back--Defense Against the Dark Arts, of course."
"And Head of Gryffindor House," added Hermione.
"Yeah, that too," said Lupin with a smile. "So I've been keeping busy."
"Remus," said Harry, "would you care for a drink? If you'd follow me to the kitchen..." Harry rose and gestured towards the door. Ron thought, for a moment, that Harry was looking at Lupin strangely, but then the moment passed and the two men headed for the door.
"I'll be back in a moment, Ron," called Lupin as he walked out. A moment after he and Harry left, there was a murmur of voices from the kitchen. The door burst open and two tall, red-headed men burst through.
"Ickle-Ronnie?" called George.
"We've missed you so!" yelled Fred. The two of them sandwiched Ron in a hug and patted their younger brother on the head. "Look at how little he is, George."
"Just the cutest little thing..." muttered George. They looked at Ron, who goggled back.
"Uh, thanks, you two," he said, feeling his ears burning. The twins grinned at each other.
"No, really, Ron, it's good to see you, it really is," said George. "It really was quite a shock--"
"--when we got that owl from Harry here. We thought he was joking...but not even we could pull off a joke like that."
Ron managed to say his thanks, but Mrs. Weasley had already started to talk to the twins; apparently, she didn't think much of their welcome for Ron. The twins shrugged off her rebukes--some things never change, thought Ron. Harry and Lupin walked back in, nursing drinks, and Ginny was animatedly discussing the latest Quidditch match with her father. Everyone seemed so happy...
"Ron, are you okay?" asked Hermione. "You seemed a bit out of it."
"Hermione, I'm fine. It's just strange seeing everyone like this..." Hermione nodded, then started to say something, but then there were two more bangs at the fireplace.
"Ron! Good ter see yeh!" rumbled Hagrid. The only visible sign of his aging was that his beard was spotted with grey. Beyond that, however, he was as tall, wide, and jovial as ever. "Never would've though' it, seein' yeh again!" He seemed to get a bit misty and stepped out of the way to reveal Professor McGonagall, looking about as pleased as Ron had ever seen her.
"Mr. Weasley! Alive! I simply cannot believe it!" McGonagall wiped away a tear. "When Hermione sent the owl...It's simply amazing."
Ron again nodded. He was starting to feel embarrassed. I haven't done anything great, he thought, I didn't do anything at all. I just sort of got here. What am I supposed to say?
"Thanks, Professor McGonagall," he finally said. "I'm glad you could come."
"Of course, Mr. Weasley. I would not have missed it, although I daresay we shall see each other enough soon." Ron froze.
"Er, how's that, Professor?"
"Well, you will continue your studies at Hogwarts, won't you?" she said in a tone of voice not unlike the one she used in the classroom. "We'd be happy to put you in the sixth year, so you'd only have to take two years of classes..."
She continued, but Ron was no longer listening. Back to Hogwarts? he thought. The idea of going back to school while Harry and Hermione went about their lives--their adult lives--was stomach-churning. Ginny will be out playing Quidditch and coming home to Neville, and I'll be worried about N.E.W.T.s? He realized he hadn't given any thought yet to what he was going to do, now that he was in the "future." Going to school made sense, but it sounded awful...
"...Well, I'm sure you'll talk it over with your parents. I'll let you get back to visiting with your family and friends, Mr. Weasley. Welcome back," McGonagall finished. She drifted off with Hermione, discussing something related to Hogwarts. Ron sank into his chair and half listened to his twin brothers talk about the newest Wizarding Wheezes in their shop.
Ten minutes later, (and half an hour late,) Neville arrived, happily greeting Ron and then taking his seat next to Ginny. Everyone mingled happily, chatting and laughing--except for Ron. What did he have to talk about? He was able to pick up snippets of conversation from everyone else, though.
"But Mum, with the sales of Pigtail-growing Pops, we'll have more than enough to run a Hogsmeade store--reckon it'll run Zonko's out in a year..."
"I'm sorry I'm late, Ginny, dear, but we were interrupted by some official worried about a breakdown of the Floo Network..."
"You know, Harry, I would love for you to come in and guest lecture someday to some of my classes..."
"Yeh should see this one, Hermione, it's bigger than Fluffy ev'r was, I tell yeh, and sweeter, too..."
"Minister, I can't tell you how highly we at Hogwarts think of your decision..."
"Ron, are you just going to sit there and mope?" Ron jerked his head around and saw his sister looking at him. "C'mon," she said, "talk to me!" Ginny made mock puppy eyes at Ron for a moment, then giggled again.
"It's just so...weird," he said. "You all have lives, you're all so happy to see me, but to me..." He frowned. "I mean, McGonagall was talking about me going back to school. And I guess that makes sense. I mean, I was just in school the day before last, squirming under Snape's glare in Potions...but it just seems to dumb for me to go back and have to do all of that while Harry's out..." He thought about how Harry probably spent his days, then started over. "...And have to do all of that while Hermione's teaching--she'd be teaching ME! And you, off flying your broomstick for the Cannons...I'd read about you in the paper, my little sister..."
"Ron," she said, "I won't tell you I know how you feel--I don't. I can't imagine it. But I can tell you this," said Ginny, all traces of girlish giggling gone, "I know you'll figure out some way to handle it. I mean, after killer chess pieces, a talking spider, a pet rat that turned out to be a killer, capture by merfolk, and the attacks of tentacled brains, a few years shouldn't be anything you can't handle." Ron just nodded. She got up and gave him a peck on the cheek. "And I promise," she added, the grin returning, "that I won't make any jokes about you being the youngest now." She marched off to join Neville, leaving Ron feeling slightly better than before.
Chapter 6
-OR-
"'Ickle-Ronnie's' Return"
Ron bolted up the stairs, any trace of his earlier dizziness gone. He flew through the door and almost collided with Dobby, who was bustling around the kitchen, working on dinner.
"Dobby is sorry, sir, but he did not see the Wheezy coming!" The house-elf scurried out of Ron's way.
"You're fine, Dobby, it's fine," he said. "Where's my sister?"
"Is that my brother?" called a voice from the next room.
"Ginny!" yelled Ron, bowling over Dobby as he raced for the door.
He flew around the corner and into the room and saw Ginny. She was taller now, but still had a slight figure. Her trademark Weasley-red hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she wore sleek, sporty-looking robes and a big smile.
"Ron!" She ran up to him and gave him a hug. They looked at each other for a moment, both trying to get used to Ron being the younger of the two of them. She grinned even more widely. "I can't believe it! It's really you!"
"And look at you! All grown up, and...and..." He took another look at his sister. She was indeed grown up, and Ron had to get used to that fact. She just laughed.
"Oh, Ron...I'm so happy to see you." A single tear trickled down her face, but she wiped it away in a hurry. "Neville will be here as soon as he can. He had a meeting that he just couldn't get out of, you know how those Ministry people are...Oh!" she said. "Neville--Longbottom, you know-- we..."
"I know," said Ron. "Harry and Hemione told me last night."
"To prepare you for the shock, huh? Well, he was so happy to hear...we thought it was some sort of joke, or mistake, or something! But here you are!"
Harry walked into the room and gave Ginny a hug, too. "Welcome, Mrs. Longbottom," he said. He moved to sit by Hermione.
"Thank you, Mr. Potter," said Ginny, in a mock-serious voice. Then she laughed. "Ron, how are you? How are you feeling?"
"Uh, well, pretty good, thanks. Just a little bewildered, I guess..."
"I can't even imagine," she said, nodding in agreement. "Well, c'mon? Won't you sit by your little sister? Except that she's older than you are now...." she teased. Ron took a seat next to his sister, who promptly began peppering Ron with questions.
"You know," he interrupted, "there's really not a lot to tell from my end. I just woke up here, that's all. It's not like I've been on a trip or something." Ginny would have none of it.
"C'mon, you're no fun!" she said, sounding, for a moment, like she was again a teenaged girl. "What do you think of the future? Is it all you thought it'd be?"
"Well, excepting for me not being a part of it...." Ron thought about the question for a moment. What do I think of the future? Am I happy with how it turned out? He shook off his thoughts. "Well, Dad's Minister of Magic and all..."
"Yeah! Isn't that neat? We were so proud when Dumbledore appointed him Senior Undersecretary to the Minister, and then when Dumbledore left...there was Dad! It was great! How'd you know about that?"
"Uh...I read the Daily Prophet yesterday. He was mentioned in an editorial." There's another thing, thought Ron, whatever happened to Dumbledore? Why didn't Harry finish his story from last night?
"Oooooohhhhhh," cooed Ginny, "did you? Did you read all of it?" Ginny wagged her eyebrows. "Did you get to the sports page?"
"Uh, no, not really. I just sort of skimmed the front section. Why?"
Ginny feigned disappointment. "You mean you didn't check the Quidditch box scores?"
"No, wh..." Ron stopped, noticing for the first time the Chudley Cannons emblem sewn onto the breast of Ginny's uniform. "Are you? I mean? You?" He pointed clumsily at her robes.
"I was wondering when you'd notice!" Ginny laughed. "I'm a Chaser! It was really unexpected, you know? But they wanted me when I was done with Hogwarts," she said, shrugging. "What could I say? I..." She cleared her throat. "I always knew were your favorites, Ron. I knew you'd approve." Her smile was a bit more watery this time.
"My sister! A pro Quidditch player!" Ron jumped up and shouted it again. "I can't believe it! And we never used to let you play!"
"You wouldn't believe the human-interest story that made...Rita Skeeter had a holiday..." She gave Ron a big wink. "I can get you tickets, anytime you want. We have a home game this Sunday, you know."
"I'd love it," said Ron. "Now, tell me all about it--the other players, your record, everything!"
Before she could start, however, there was a knock at the door. Hermione swiftly got up to answer it, but from his seat, Ron followed her as she left to get the newest guests. She returned with...
"Mom! Dad!" Ron jumped up to greet his parents. His mother gave him a very tight, very teary hug while his father just watched with a hint of a smile. Mr. Weasley first offered his hand to Ron, then pulled him in for a hug.
"Ronald Weasley! Look at you!" said his mother. "Back here! And alive! Do you know how worried we've been?" Before Ron could answer, she shrugged it off and hugged him again. "And you're just like you were ten years ago! When you went off and fooled around with that machine." She was still crying. Seeing that his father was desperately trying to get a word in, Ron extricated himself from his mother's death-grip hug and stood by his father.
"Ron...it's been a long time. I can't tell you how glad I am to see you...and I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner..."
"Dad, it's all right. I know you're the Minister of Magic."
"He is indeed, Ron. YOUR FATHER! Minister of Magic! I always told him that if he just kept working hard..." Mrs. Weasley continued to talk, but Hermione offered her a cup of tea so that Ron could have a word with his father.
"The American Minister sends his regards, too, Ron. I had to leave a conference, you know." Mr. Weasley shrugged. "But I was glad to do it to see my boy! I knew it would take more than a little bang to get rid of a Weasley!" Ron noticed his father looked more confident and lively than when he had last seen him.
"I can't tell you how proud I am of you, Dad. Minister of Magic!" Mr. Weasley's ears turned red. "And Ginny, here, Chaser for the Cannons! Is the rest of the family this successful?"
"Well, those two," said Mrs. Weasley, not needing to explain to whom she was referring, "are still running that shop."
"But are doing very well there, Molly, you have to admit." Mr. Weasley turned to Ron. "They've expanded, you know--they have a branch in Hogsmeade now, and are looking into overseas investment. Quite the big shots..."
"Most successful Weasleys not to graduate," added Mrs. Weasley. "And Bill--he couldn't come, you know, he's on vacation with the family--is still working for Gringott's here in London. We've got three little grandchildren, now, we do!" Mrs. Weasley started to fish in her purse for pictures while Mr. Weasley helped himself to a cup of tea. "Here," she said at last. Ron could tell with one look that Bill had ended up marrying Fleur, the half-veela. All three of the children--two girls and a boy--had shimmering, strawberry blond hair. The boy giggled and waved a bit from his picture; the two girls were enjoying a nap. Ron handed the pictures back to his mother.
"What about Charlie?"
"Charlie's overseas still, studying dragons. He's in China, now, I think," said Mr. Weasley. "He moves around quite a bit. He got married, too, to Tonks, that Auror."
"Very nice girl," said Mrs. Weasley, with an approving nod. "She takes good care of my boy. Bit clumsy, though."
"What about Percy?" His question instantly silenced the room.
"Your brother," started Mrs. Weasley, "went and got himself killed." Ron couldn't tell if his mother was more angry or upset.
"What your mother means," said Mr. Weasley, "is that Percy died when V-Voldemort attacked the Ministry of Magic. See, not too long after you, ah, well, died isn't the word..."
"Mr. Weasley, Ron knows about everything up to the fall of Voldemort. We told him last night," said Harry. Mr. Weasley was visibly relieved.
"Well, he--Percy, I mean, of course--he was in Fudge's office. He tried to stop what was going on, and, well, that was that." Mr. Weasley tried to smile, and Mrs. Weasley started to cry.
"He still wasn't talking to us when he died," she wailed. "He still refused to acknowledge his own family!" She started to sob uncontrollably, and Ginny tried to help take her out of the room. Mrs. Weasley shook her daughter off and stopped crying. If the silence after Ron's question was awkward, then the new silence filling the room was absolutely stifling. Hermione finally cleared her throat and spoke.
"Ron, we were going to tell you last night. We just didn't think that..."
"No, you're fine. It's just a bit of a shock, I guess. He was always a git, but I never thought that...I mean, I would never have..." He trailed off as he tried to think of something else to talk about. Finally he decided to return to politics, saying, "Well, Dad, I saw yesterday that the Daily Prophet had all sorts of good things to say about you. Quite a bit different from what I remember."
Mr. Weasley nodded. "Yes, they really have had a change of heart, haven't they? I still get the benefits of being on Dumbledore's side when we fought You-Know-Who. Now they're all for just about anything I say."
"Nonsense," said Mrs. Weasley. "They support you because you're right." She nodded decisively. "Ron, your father has done more to support Muggle-wizard relations than any other Minister I've ever seen. And he does quite a bit for our relations with all magical creatures."
"Speaking of which," said Ginny, "where's Dobby?"
Hermione gave an impatient snort. "He's cooking. I tried to get him to join us, but he said that he preferred working."
"Er, yes, house-elves are like that," said Mr. Weasley. Ron got the impression that this was one subject that everyone still shied from in Hermione's presence. At that moment, though, there was a loud crack at the fireplace. A wizard in plain, well-worn gray robes with graying hair to match stepped out. He looked towards Ron.
"Ron Weasley! What a pleasant surprise!" called Remus Lupin. He turned to Hermione. "Minerva and Rubeus will be here shortly." He walked up to Ron and shook his hand. "Welcome back, I guess."
"Thanks, Professor," said Ron. He gave the man an appraising look. His former professor had aged gracefully--certainly more so than Harry had. His clothes, while still worn out, were no longer patched, and Lupin wore them well. Thinking of nothing else to say, Ron said, "You're looking well."
"So do you, for a guy who's been thrown through time and had a nasty landing at the end of his flight," said Lupin with a smile. "You're feeling okay?"
"Yeah," said Ron. "A little dazed, I guess. I mean, everyone here has done so much...I suppose you've found a cure for werewolf bites and reinvented the Philosopher's Stone or something."
"No, Ron, I'm just a simple schoolteacher. That's all."
"You teach? At Hogwarts?"
"Yup. I guess when everyone saw what I did for the Order, my being a werewolf got to be less important. So I'm back--Defense Against the Dark Arts, of course."
"And Head of Gryffindor House," added Hermione.
"Yeah, that too," said Lupin with a smile. "So I've been keeping busy."
"Remus," said Harry, "would you care for a drink? If you'd follow me to the kitchen..." Harry rose and gestured towards the door. Ron thought, for a moment, that Harry was looking at Lupin strangely, but then the moment passed and the two men headed for the door.
"I'll be back in a moment, Ron," called Lupin as he walked out. A moment after he and Harry left, there was a murmur of voices from the kitchen. The door burst open and two tall, red-headed men burst through.
"Ickle-Ronnie?" called George.
"We've missed you so!" yelled Fred. The two of them sandwiched Ron in a hug and patted their younger brother on the head. "Look at how little he is, George."
"Just the cutest little thing..." muttered George. They looked at Ron, who goggled back.
"Uh, thanks, you two," he said, feeling his ears burning. The twins grinned at each other.
"No, really, Ron, it's good to see you, it really is," said George. "It really was quite a shock--"
"--when we got that owl from Harry here. We thought he was joking...but not even we could pull off a joke like that."
Ron managed to say his thanks, but Mrs. Weasley had already started to talk to the twins; apparently, she didn't think much of their welcome for Ron. The twins shrugged off her rebukes--some things never change, thought Ron. Harry and Lupin walked back in, nursing drinks, and Ginny was animatedly discussing the latest Quidditch match with her father. Everyone seemed so happy...
"Ron, are you okay?" asked Hermione. "You seemed a bit out of it."
"Hermione, I'm fine. It's just strange seeing everyone like this..." Hermione nodded, then started to say something, but then there were two more bangs at the fireplace.
"Ron! Good ter see yeh!" rumbled Hagrid. The only visible sign of his aging was that his beard was spotted with grey. Beyond that, however, he was as tall, wide, and jovial as ever. "Never would've though' it, seein' yeh again!" He seemed to get a bit misty and stepped out of the way to reveal Professor McGonagall, looking about as pleased as Ron had ever seen her.
"Mr. Weasley! Alive! I simply cannot believe it!" McGonagall wiped away a tear. "When Hermione sent the owl...It's simply amazing."
Ron again nodded. He was starting to feel embarrassed. I haven't done anything great, he thought, I didn't do anything at all. I just sort of got here. What am I supposed to say?
"Thanks, Professor McGonagall," he finally said. "I'm glad you could come."
"Of course, Mr. Weasley. I would not have missed it, although I daresay we shall see each other enough soon." Ron froze.
"Er, how's that, Professor?"
"Well, you will continue your studies at Hogwarts, won't you?" she said in a tone of voice not unlike the one she used in the classroom. "We'd be happy to put you in the sixth year, so you'd only have to take two years of classes..."
She continued, but Ron was no longer listening. Back to Hogwarts? he thought. The idea of going back to school while Harry and Hermione went about their lives--their adult lives--was stomach-churning. Ginny will be out playing Quidditch and coming home to Neville, and I'll be worried about N.E.W.T.s? He realized he hadn't given any thought yet to what he was going to do, now that he was in the "future." Going to school made sense, but it sounded awful...
"...Well, I'm sure you'll talk it over with your parents. I'll let you get back to visiting with your family and friends, Mr. Weasley. Welcome back," McGonagall finished. She drifted off with Hermione, discussing something related to Hogwarts. Ron sank into his chair and half listened to his twin brothers talk about the newest Wizarding Wheezes in their shop.
Ten minutes later, (and half an hour late,) Neville arrived, happily greeting Ron and then taking his seat next to Ginny. Everyone mingled happily, chatting and laughing--except for Ron. What did he have to talk about? He was able to pick up snippets of conversation from everyone else, though.
"But Mum, with the sales of Pigtail-growing Pops, we'll have more than enough to run a Hogsmeade store--reckon it'll run Zonko's out in a year..."
"I'm sorry I'm late, Ginny, dear, but we were interrupted by some official worried about a breakdown of the Floo Network..."
"You know, Harry, I would love for you to come in and guest lecture someday to some of my classes..."
"Yeh should see this one, Hermione, it's bigger than Fluffy ev'r was, I tell yeh, and sweeter, too..."
"Minister, I can't tell you how highly we at Hogwarts think of your decision..."
"Ron, are you just going to sit there and mope?" Ron jerked his head around and saw his sister looking at him. "C'mon," she said, "talk to me!" Ginny made mock puppy eyes at Ron for a moment, then giggled again.
"It's just so...weird," he said. "You all have lives, you're all so happy to see me, but to me..." He frowned. "I mean, McGonagall was talking about me going back to school. And I guess that makes sense. I mean, I was just in school the day before last, squirming under Snape's glare in Potions...but it just seems to dumb for me to go back and have to do all of that while Harry's out..." He thought about how Harry probably spent his days, then started over. "...And have to do all of that while Hermione's teaching--she'd be teaching ME! And you, off flying your broomstick for the Cannons...I'd read about you in the paper, my little sister..."
"Ron," she said, "I won't tell you I know how you feel--I don't. I can't imagine it. But I can tell you this," said Ginny, all traces of girlish giggling gone, "I know you'll figure out some way to handle it. I mean, after killer chess pieces, a talking spider, a pet rat that turned out to be a killer, capture by merfolk, and the attacks of tentacled brains, a few years shouldn't be anything you can't handle." Ron just nodded. She got up and gave him a peck on the cheek. "And I promise," she added, the grin returning, "that I won't make any jokes about you being the youngest now." She marched off to join Neville, leaving Ron feeling slightly better than before.