Ron turned around as his mother and sister emerged from the brick
barrier. He heard a clinking sound and Mrs. Weasly muttering "Oh dammit! My
keys..."
"Here mum, I'll get 'em." George dropped down to the dirty ground and groped around for the keys. He stood up a moment later. He had the keys but his hands were filthy. George handed his mother her keys as Percy started to grab his mother's attention.
"Mother, I really must head off to the first car, us prefects have to get to the train early," Percy was idly shining his silver prefect's badge, "They need us to keep the students in line." Mrs. Weasly's eyes were beginning to get watery. She smiled lovingly at her third son and kissed him on the forehead. Then Percy set off into the sea of students and their families. "Thank god that's over," said Fred with a fake sigh of relief. Ginny giggled, but Mrs. Weasly span around and snapped at him.
"All his life, Percy has done nothing but be a good role model. He deserves to be prefect, and he deserves more respect from you." Fred looked a little startled, but George was obviously trying to conceal a laugh. "That goes for you too," She said, eyeing George. "Speaking of which, behave. I don't want any owls from school saying you've done something ridiculous." Then, on a less harsh note, she said "Go on, dears, and have a good term." she kissed them each and sent them to the train.
Now it was just Ron, Ginny, and Mrs. Weasly. Ron was regretting not leaving with Fred and George. Now that it was just him to go, his mother was going to attract so much attention. He knew she would get all blubbery and he couldn't afford winning the title of "Mama's boy". With the thought of total embarrassment before he even got to Hogwarts, he quickly grabbed his trunk and headed for the train.
"Oh no you don't," said Mrs. Weasly playfully, tousling his flaming red hair. "Oh mum, don't get all mushy." Ron pushed away from his mother.
Taken aback Mrs. Weasly muttered "I'm sorry," apologetically. "It's just that, well, I'm going to miss you. You've never been away from home for more than a couple weeks, so... Well you get the idea... Home just won't be the same."
"I miss you already," chimed in Ginny. Ron paused enjoying the attention, then he came back to his sense and put a disgusted look on his face.
"I haven't taken four steps and you're both missing me? Honestly, I'm not that great to have around, am I?"
"Certainly not. Honestly Ron, what gave you that ridiculous idea?" Fred and George had just crept up behind Ron. "Sometimes, Fred and George just don't get the concept of rhetorical questions..." thought Ron, to himself.
"Oy, mum, you're never going to believe who we just met on the train!"
"Who's that, dear?"
"Harry Potter!" chorused the twins excitedly. "He was near us back in the muggle station, did you see him?" Ginny made an indistinguishable noise that Ron thought sounded like "Bunny! Granny feet hen?" Mrs. Weasly smiled fondly at the twins.
"Actually, we spoke to him. He asked me where the entrance to the platform was... No wonder why he was all alone." She smiled even more broadly.
"I knew he looked familiar. I knew I'd seen him somewhere, didn't I ask you if he looked familiar, mum?"
"Sure you did, Ron." said Fred sarcastically. George sniggered while Ron frowned at the ground.
"You know what this means though, don't you?" said Mrs. Weasly, switching to a more "I'm-laying-down-the-rules-you-better-listen-to-me" tone of voice.
"What, mum?" said Fred, George, and Ron, blankly and in unison. Ron hated it when she used her "I'm-laying-down-the-rules-you-better-listen-to- me" voice.
"This boy has been through more than any of you... put together!" Ron was having a hard time not saying "Well duh".
"And that means that he probably has had to deal with people asking questions about You-Know-Who and such, so I don't want any of you to be rude to him or ask him any questions about his unfortunate past. If I get any word saying that Harry Potter is depressed because a Weasly has gone and brought up his past, I swear, I will pluck you out of school myself and- "
"Mum, you're going to make us miss the train!" interrupted Fred.
"Oh Ron," said George concernedly, "You've got something on your nose! Here let me get that..." He wiped Ron's nose with his hand and then he and Fred ran off to the train. Mrs. Weasly snatched Ron and planted a kiss on his cheek.
"Have a good term."
"Bye!"
"Ooh, wait! You've got some dirt on you're nose!"
"Mum, I've got to run!" The second warning bell had rung. It was 10:59 and the Hogwarts Express waited for no one. His mother hugged him one last time and Ron ran off to catch the train.
"Uh... Could I sit here? All the other compartments are full." Ron was eyeing the black-haired boy from the station uncertainly.
"Sure." said the boy, shyly. Ron dragged his trunk into the little compartment and sat down on a red cushioned bench by the window. He stared out it for a minute, trying to catch the boy's reflection in the glass. He didn't want to be caught staring. Ron wondered whether the boy really was Harry Potter. It wouldn't be unlike Fred and George to try to trick him.
"Are you really Harry Potter?" Ron blurted out rather quickly, then turning a little pink. He could feel his ears reddening under the stare of the boy's bright green eyes. He was wearing a tattered muggle sweater that looked about eight sizes too big. In fact, all the muggle clothes he was wearing looked like an elephant used to live in them. He also was wearing round glasses that looked as if they'd been broken and fixed with some kind of spell-o tape. Ron eyed him, he couldn't be Harry Potter. He looked like a hobo.
"Yeah, I am Harry Potter." the boy replied.
"Oh," Ron looked at the scar on the boy's forehead. "Yeah, you are..." Then realizing how stupid he must have sounded he explained. "Sorry, it's just that my brothers... Fred and George Weasly... They're real practical jokers... Like to be funny and trick people... I thought they might have made it up... You know, to be funny... Or to try and trick me..." Ron was aware that that statement made him sound like a babbling idiot, but on the contrary, the boy grinned and looked at Ron kindly.
"It's alright, I've been getting a lot of that lately... Uh... What's you're name?"
"Ron. Ron Weasly." They began to talk about all kinds of things, mostly Ron's family. Harry seemed to be fascinated with them. Ron didn't understand why though. They were just a you're average magical family.
About an hour after they started talking, the topic of quidditch was aroused. "What the hell do you mean when you say you don't know what quidditch is?!" Ron was beginning to explain all about the wizard's sport when a witch came around with a trolly full of food. Harry got up and bought some of everything.
"Here. Eat. You look starved." Harry handed him a Pumpkin Pasty. Ron grinned and took the pasty. "I guess he wasn't a stalker after all." thought Ron quietly, as he took a large bite out of the tiny pasty.
"Here mum, I'll get 'em." George dropped down to the dirty ground and groped around for the keys. He stood up a moment later. He had the keys but his hands were filthy. George handed his mother her keys as Percy started to grab his mother's attention.
"Mother, I really must head off to the first car, us prefects have to get to the train early," Percy was idly shining his silver prefect's badge, "They need us to keep the students in line." Mrs. Weasly's eyes were beginning to get watery. She smiled lovingly at her third son and kissed him on the forehead. Then Percy set off into the sea of students and their families. "Thank god that's over," said Fred with a fake sigh of relief. Ginny giggled, but Mrs. Weasly span around and snapped at him.
"All his life, Percy has done nothing but be a good role model. He deserves to be prefect, and he deserves more respect from you." Fred looked a little startled, but George was obviously trying to conceal a laugh. "That goes for you too," She said, eyeing George. "Speaking of which, behave. I don't want any owls from school saying you've done something ridiculous." Then, on a less harsh note, she said "Go on, dears, and have a good term." she kissed them each and sent them to the train.
Now it was just Ron, Ginny, and Mrs. Weasly. Ron was regretting not leaving with Fred and George. Now that it was just him to go, his mother was going to attract so much attention. He knew she would get all blubbery and he couldn't afford winning the title of "Mama's boy". With the thought of total embarrassment before he even got to Hogwarts, he quickly grabbed his trunk and headed for the train.
"Oh no you don't," said Mrs. Weasly playfully, tousling his flaming red hair. "Oh mum, don't get all mushy." Ron pushed away from his mother.
Taken aback Mrs. Weasly muttered "I'm sorry," apologetically. "It's just that, well, I'm going to miss you. You've never been away from home for more than a couple weeks, so... Well you get the idea... Home just won't be the same."
"I miss you already," chimed in Ginny. Ron paused enjoying the attention, then he came back to his sense and put a disgusted look on his face.
"I haven't taken four steps and you're both missing me? Honestly, I'm not that great to have around, am I?"
"Certainly not. Honestly Ron, what gave you that ridiculous idea?" Fred and George had just crept up behind Ron. "Sometimes, Fred and George just don't get the concept of rhetorical questions..." thought Ron, to himself.
"Oy, mum, you're never going to believe who we just met on the train!"
"Who's that, dear?"
"Harry Potter!" chorused the twins excitedly. "He was near us back in the muggle station, did you see him?" Ginny made an indistinguishable noise that Ron thought sounded like "Bunny! Granny feet hen?" Mrs. Weasly smiled fondly at the twins.
"Actually, we spoke to him. He asked me where the entrance to the platform was... No wonder why he was all alone." She smiled even more broadly.
"I knew he looked familiar. I knew I'd seen him somewhere, didn't I ask you if he looked familiar, mum?"
"Sure you did, Ron." said Fred sarcastically. George sniggered while Ron frowned at the ground.
"You know what this means though, don't you?" said Mrs. Weasly, switching to a more "I'm-laying-down-the-rules-you-better-listen-to-me" tone of voice.
"What, mum?" said Fred, George, and Ron, blankly and in unison. Ron hated it when she used her "I'm-laying-down-the-rules-you-better-listen-to- me" voice.
"This boy has been through more than any of you... put together!" Ron was having a hard time not saying "Well duh".
"And that means that he probably has had to deal with people asking questions about You-Know-Who and such, so I don't want any of you to be rude to him or ask him any questions about his unfortunate past. If I get any word saying that Harry Potter is depressed because a Weasly has gone and brought up his past, I swear, I will pluck you out of school myself and- "
"Mum, you're going to make us miss the train!" interrupted Fred.
"Oh Ron," said George concernedly, "You've got something on your nose! Here let me get that..." He wiped Ron's nose with his hand and then he and Fred ran off to the train. Mrs. Weasly snatched Ron and planted a kiss on his cheek.
"Have a good term."
"Bye!"
"Ooh, wait! You've got some dirt on you're nose!"
"Mum, I've got to run!" The second warning bell had rung. It was 10:59 and the Hogwarts Express waited for no one. His mother hugged him one last time and Ron ran off to catch the train.
"Uh... Could I sit here? All the other compartments are full." Ron was eyeing the black-haired boy from the station uncertainly.
"Sure." said the boy, shyly. Ron dragged his trunk into the little compartment and sat down on a red cushioned bench by the window. He stared out it for a minute, trying to catch the boy's reflection in the glass. He didn't want to be caught staring. Ron wondered whether the boy really was Harry Potter. It wouldn't be unlike Fred and George to try to trick him.
"Are you really Harry Potter?" Ron blurted out rather quickly, then turning a little pink. He could feel his ears reddening under the stare of the boy's bright green eyes. He was wearing a tattered muggle sweater that looked about eight sizes too big. In fact, all the muggle clothes he was wearing looked like an elephant used to live in them. He also was wearing round glasses that looked as if they'd been broken and fixed with some kind of spell-o tape. Ron eyed him, he couldn't be Harry Potter. He looked like a hobo.
"Yeah, I am Harry Potter." the boy replied.
"Oh," Ron looked at the scar on the boy's forehead. "Yeah, you are..." Then realizing how stupid he must have sounded he explained. "Sorry, it's just that my brothers... Fred and George Weasly... They're real practical jokers... Like to be funny and trick people... I thought they might have made it up... You know, to be funny... Or to try and trick me..." Ron was aware that that statement made him sound like a babbling idiot, but on the contrary, the boy grinned and looked at Ron kindly.
"It's alright, I've been getting a lot of that lately... Uh... What's you're name?"
"Ron. Ron Weasly." They began to talk about all kinds of things, mostly Ron's family. Harry seemed to be fascinated with them. Ron didn't understand why though. They were just a you're average magical family.
About an hour after they started talking, the topic of quidditch was aroused. "What the hell do you mean when you say you don't know what quidditch is?!" Ron was beginning to explain all about the wizard's sport when a witch came around with a trolly full of food. Harry got up and bought some of everything.
"Here. Eat. You look starved." Harry handed him a Pumpkin Pasty. Ron grinned and took the pasty. "I guess he wasn't a stalker after all." thought Ron quietly, as he took a large bite out of the tiny pasty.