(Again, I own NONE of these characters. J.K. Rowling does. This is just a little spin on Ron's first letter.)
Chapter Three: No Chores
It was one of those mornings when the sun stayed behind a veil of gray clouds. However, it gave the day a misty, gray light to distinguish it from night. This morning, in a tiny room cramped full of Chudley Cannon posters, Ron Weasley rolled out of bed.
He belly smacked the floor, a pile of dirty socks dampening the thud. "Oh," Ron groaned. This was it, he'd really fallen off the broom! No, wait, Ron stood up realizing the dream. He'd had it thousands of times, falling off a broom, but he believed he'd really done it.
He'd never road a broom, so how could he fall off one? Hearing the call of his stomach, Ron lumbered down the crooked, uneven steps. He breathed deep the scent of sausage, pancakes, bacon, and eggs. This gave Ron the energy to run the whole way to the worn kitchen table. Charlie and the twins were awake, seated around the table, watching Mrs. Weasley cook.
"Morning," Charlie yawned as Ron pulled up a chair. He was visiting from Romania, which put Mrs. Weasley in a better mood, knowing her son was with her, not chasing dragons. "What part of the house fell in?"
"Fell out of bed," Ron yawned, running his fingers through messy, bright orange locks of hair.
"Did Ronny hurt himself?" Fred began to inspect Ron's elbow. "Ah, Mum, he bruised his arm! Call Saint Mungos!"
"Get off!" Ron said and pulled away as Fred and George burst into snickers.
"You should put up the levitating mattress again, Mum," George looked over at Ron with a wicked grin. "Remember the mattress, Ron?"
Ron groaned, remember Mum having fits about him. 'You're going to crack open your head!' she'd yell. So, the mattress was laid on the floor beside the bed. When he rolled out, it'd bounce him into the air.
"And you'd wake up," George smirked. "And start balling because you were in mid-air!"
"Yeah, and I'd always have to put you back on the ground," Charlie laughed. "You used that until last year, huh, Ron?"
"I thought ickle Ron was becoming a big boy?" Fred chuckled messed up Ron's already messy hair.
"He is," Mrs. Weasley replied from the stove. "He's stopped wetting the bed three years ago. Cleans better house than either of you boys."
"Ronnie is so feminine," Fred chortled and began to wipe the table with the bottom of his shirt. Ron punched his brother on the shoulder. Suddenly, something tickled Ron's feet, something tickled up his ankle!
"Spider!" Ron shouted and jumped on the chair. Fred and George howled. Charlie stepped on the tiny daddy log leg. Ron flushed red, crawling off the chair.
"Ronald, honestly, it's as big as a pinkie nail," Mrs. Weasley said and kept cooking all the while. "Fred! George! This early? Don't give me a headache before noon today."
"Gotta get started early, Mum," Fred said as hetipped back in his chair. "Aye, George?"
"Aye," George mimicked his brother's motions. They both leaned back on two chair legs, letting the kitchen have a few moments rest. That is, until a loud thud on the window made Ron start.
"Errol," Charlie walked outside, collecting the scrawny, disheveled owl from the ground. "Hey, this worthless bird brought something worthwhile."
"Hogwarts!" Fred and George shouted and grabbed their letters, popping them open. "Ah, the usual blah, blah, blah, but Mum, they added some new books. Probably a new teacher again."
"Aye," Charlie nodded, sitting down, placing Percy's letter across the table. Ron noticed one more left in his hand. His eyes widened, realizing it was his first Hogwart's letter!
"Mine!" Ron's squeak made Mrs. Weasley look up. Charlie grinned as Ron ripped the paper into more pieces than either Fred or George.
"Bless me, it is about time," Mrs. Weasley smiled at her littlest son. "Ronny, you're growing up so fast."
"Ah, you never say we're growing up at all," George grinned. "I think she's implying something, Fred."
"Time you should start," Mrs. Weasley sighed at her twin sons. She kept her eyes on Ron as he read the letter several times, to make sure it was real.
"Mum, I'm going!" Ron never remembered feeling happier. He'd watched all his brothers go to Hogwarts. He endured them blabbering about it, taunting him with how great the grand hall and the Quidditch teams were.
"Of course you're going," Mrs. Weasley started to cook again. "No chores today, since it's your first letter."
"Weasley tradition," Charlie nodded at his little brother. His eyes spaced out, and Ron watched as he grinned, reminiscing about his times at Hogwarts. "You'll make the Weasley name proud."
"Fred, he'll probably be in Gryffindor," George frowned at his brother. "You realize we'll have another family twit on our hands?"
"I'm not a twit!" Ron yelped. The twins nodded in unison.
"He won't pass the test to get in," Fred whispered to George so no one else could hear them. "Half our class couldn't get past that blasted troll."
"Tr . . ."
"Fred! George! Quite mumbling about all the trouble you're going to cause!" Mrs. Weasley kept cooking away, sorting through the rest of the mail at the same time. "Go get rid of those garden gnomes!"
"Mum," George groaned. They both stood up, walking out to the garden. Ron could still feel his heart beating too hard. A troll! How was he supposed to face a troll? Oh course, it was Fred and George who said this, but they whispered it!
"Ron, how about, oh," Mrs. Weasley laughed in the middle of her order. "No chores, that's right! Charlie, go start the wash, dear."
Charlie got up, leaving Ron alone in the kitchen with his mum and a stove full of nearly done food. Ron stared at the table, trying to imagine Hogwarts. He'd seen the scarlet train, steaming away down the tracks. He'd run through the barrier, holding his Mum's hand.
"Ronald, come get your plate," Mrs. Weasley finally stopped cooking. "I'll go wake Ginny and Percy." She went up the stairs, and Ron started to devour his eggs. In this mass of food, all thoughts of Hogwarts left his mind.
"Ah," Charlie entered again. He fixed himself a plate, sitting down beside Ron. Ron went for seconds when Mrs. Weasley came back down the stairs, Ginny at her heels.
"Oh, pancakes, my favorite!" Ginny grabbed a plateful of food. For a girl, she ate quite a bit, but never gained an ounce. "Thanks Mum!"
"Ah, my letter," Percy put on his glasses, entering the kitchen. He carefully opened his envelope. A red and gold badge with a huge P on it fluttered to the table. "I'm a Prefect."
"A Prefect!" Mrs. Weasley dropped everything she'd been doing. She ran over, squeezing Percy to death. "Oh! The second Prefect in our family!"
"A Prefect?" Ron frowned. Mrs. Weasley ignored him, fawning over Percy. She declared how they'd buy him an owl, new robes, and lots of new books! Ron's jaw dropped. "Mum . . ."
"What did I hear?" Fred and George, covered in dirt, came into the kitchen. Ron was never so happy to see his brothers. "A Prickfect?"
"Fred!" Mrs. Weasley turned livid at her son's joke. "Don't insult your brother! He's received an honor!"
"What's a Prefect?" Ron's question was heard this time.
"It's like a house leader," Charlie explained. "There's a boy and girl Prefect for fifth and sixth years for each house. Bill was a Prefect, too."
"Oh," Ron frowned. He didn't suppose he'd ever be a Prefect and get loads of new things. Mrs. Weasley went back to doting over Percy. Ron picked away at his breakfast, the feeling of being special at receiving his first letter gone. Percy the Prefect won the day with his good marks.
"Fred, George, and R . . ." Mrs. Weasley stopped herself from ordering Ron again. "Go finish the garden, boys."
"Ron," Ron stared up at Charlie. Charlie grinned down at his brother. "Come outside. I'll teach you how to ride my old broom. We need a fourth Weasley on the Quidditch team. Bigger honor than a Prefect any day."
Ron grinned. He remembered Charlie had been amazing on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. His Mum treated him like she treated Percy. Thinking on that, she treated Bill that way, too.
Ron dressed quickly in jeans and a T-shirt. He raced to the scraggly, damp grass that made up the Burrow's yard. Uncut and up to Ron's knees, the dew easily soaked his pants.
"Okay, call your broom by saying up," Charlie placed the broom down in the grass. Ron frowned, calling on the broom. He screwed up his face, yelling louder when it didn't come.
"Okay, I'll just get it for you," Charlie held out his hand. The broom slammed up in his palm. Charlie pushed it down, to about Ron's waist. "Okay, now, just put one leg over it."
Ron did this, slipping a little because the broom was damp from the grass. Still, he got on, clutching the top tightly with both hands. "Good, now just kick off. Getting off the ground is important."
Ron kicked off, hovering a few feet over the grass. Charlie nodded at Ron's altitude. "Aye, okay, now lean forward, and slowly glide over the grass." Ron leaned, and instead of slowing gliding, shot off. He zoomed like a rocket over towards the house. Realizing he was about to do an Errol, Ron pulled back on the broom handle.
He stopped in mid-air, almost falling off. "Ron! Don't lean too hard!" Charlie ran over to where Ron stopped. "Okay, you didn't fall off. Try again. Lightly, very lightly, lean on the broom. Not too hard."
"Okay." Lightly, Ron thought, barely pressing against the handle. Ron moved, slowing gliding over the damp grass. He grinned, realizing he was finally riding a broomstick!
THUD! Ron lost his balance, landing stomach down in the wet grass. "Ow," Ron rubbed his head, trying to make the sparkling stars go away. "I finally fell off!"
Ron blinked, recognizing loud laughter from his left. He looked up at Fred and George, grinning at each other. "You knocked me off!" Ron muttered. Fred and George nodded, agreeing that Ron was right about that.
"You okay?" Charlie pushed them away, checking out Ron for broken bones. He searched, finding nothing broken, although Ron wasn't sure of that.
"I don't think I can move," Ron groaned.
"You better lay down. You've fallen twice today," Charlie grinned slightly. "Fred, nice toss."
"Aye," Fred gave his brother a nod.
"What did he throw?" Ron muttered at Charlie lifted him up, motion for George to help. He draped one of Ron's arms over his shoulder, while George draped the other arm over his shoulder.
"A garden gnome," Fred followed behind them, grabbing the broom. "Mighty good aim, I might add. Didn't think the first one would hit you."
As the reached the door, Fred and George went silent about the Ron whacking. Ron couldn't imagine what his Mum would do if she found out Fred hit him with a garden gnome. Fortunately, Mrs. Weasley was in some other part of the house, doing other chores.
"Stay here till you feel better," Charlie laid Ron on his bed. He pulled up a chair, sitting down, staring at Ron's posters. "Fred, George, you better get out there. Mum might think something's up if you don't throw some more gnomes."
"Mum will think something's up if we don't hurt Ron," Fred grinned. "She excepts that of us, you see."
"We've got a reputation," George laughed as they headed down stairs. Ron groaned, thinking of all the terrible things they'd do to him at Hogwarts. Mum wouldn't be there to keep an eye on them. He imagined this pain, doubled, along with more dung bombs under the bed sheets.
"Don't feel bad," Charlie stood up, after making sure Ron wasn't going to faint or anything. "Fred and George are beaters. It's their job to knock people of brooms."
"I guess," Ron muttered. "I just wish I could fly better."
"It's your first time, you'll do better later," Charlie shrugged. "Can't join to team until your second year, at least. You'll be decent by then."
"If I make the team," Ron muttered. He didn't think, after today, that he'd make the team or be a Prefect. He didn't want to be like Percy, no, he just wanted new things. His Mum never doted on him.
"You will. You'll up hold the Weasley name just fine," Charlie grinned. "You'll be in Gryffindor. You'll play Quidditch or be a Prefect. Make all sorts of trouble for the teachers, just like Bill, the twins, and me."
"Maybe," Ron doubted it.
"You don't have to be like Percy, though." Charlie winked, leaving Ron alone with his Chudly Cannon posters.
(A/N: Hope you liked this one. I desperately want readers for this story. I'm actually rereading the books, cause I read them once, to write this. I'm reading other fics to see what people have already done, so I can make this as original as possible. Please review, thanks, MorganRay)