Chapter 2 : Excuses, Excuses
Breakfast the next morning was very uneasy for Ron. Every time he looked across the table at Fred or George, they would snigger and stroke their fork lovingly. Mrs. Weasley grew very angry when she caught Fred, and he got a severe tongue-lashing for making rude and obscene gestures with their fork. Two times already, George had made Ron nearly puke, saying things like "Hey Fleur, guess what?" or "You wouldn't believe what Ron did last night!". Each time they came up with some stupid answer, then smirked over at Ron, whose face burned a bright pink. Eventually Mrs. Weasley grew tired of Fred and Georges' off the wall remarks and demanded to know what was happening. When she asked this, Ron's stomach twisted into knots and he waited for the twins' reply.
"You see mum..." George started. He then looked over at Fred and they winked at one another.
Ron sat in his seat, breathing rapidly. His eyes flickered over to Fleur, who unfortunately was listening intently.
"We caught Ron doing something bad last night..." Fred said, looking over to Ron and smirking.
Ron sat, squirming in his seat. He was half-tempted to jump out of his seat and confess his deeds, but he doubted that George and Fred would spill it all, they would tell just enough to make Ron incriminate himself. So he kept his mouth shut and waited for the twins to finish.
"Ooh! Vat did he do? Have you been a bad boy Ronnie?" Fleur said, pinching Ron's cheek as it grew redder than before, as if that was possible.
"No, not at all!" Ron said, knowing that he had taken what she said completely the wrong way. He looked to Fred and George and pleaded with them silently. They merely laughed and continued to torture Ron.
"Funny you should ask, Fleur" George said, staring at Ron as he emphasized her name. Ron sat there, helplessly and waited for the bomb to be dropped.
"Have you been a bad boy, Ronnie?" Fred asked, imitating Fleur's French accent, and making Ron more and more uncomfortable.
"That is enough!" Mrs. Weasley said to the twins. "You two tell me what Ron has done or you'll be de-gnoming the garden every day this week!"
The twins stopped smiling and looked to Ron, just to see the boy staring intently into his plate and fidgeting uneasily. Ron prepared for what his mother might say, what Fleur might say, but he had never been in this situation before so he just prayed that Fred and George would relent.
"We caught him trying to sneak out a window last night." George said, "We asked him where he was going, and he said to buzz off."
Mrs. Weasley stared at Ron, and began shaking with anger. Her face turned the customary red that every Weasley turned when embarrassed or angry and attempted in vain to count to ten.
"Ronald Bilius Weasley! What were you doing trying to sneak out of my house last night! Where were you going!' Mrs. Weasley yelled. She then turned to Fleur and the twins and politely asked them to leave, preferably to get out of earshot, which would be in London. When the extra company was gone, Mrs. Weasley turned to Ron.
"Well, what do you have to say for yourself?" Mrs. Weasley asked, waiting for an explanation.
Ron's mind raced to create a plausible story about why he was sneaking out at night. 'Fred and George are dead anyway!' Ron thought to himself, envisioning all kinds of terrible things being done to the twins. His mom still sat there, patiently waiting for an answer, but it was clear her patience was running thin.
"You see..." Ron said, forming an excuse as he went along, "I wanted to sneak out last night, so that I could get a little extra Quidditch practice in before next season." That was the worst excuse Ron had heard, and he lived with Fred and George, and yet it was the best he had on such short notice.
"Quidditch practice!" Mrs. Weasley yelled, "Have you gone mad! Do you realize that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is cavorting around the Wizarding World, killing whoever he sees!" Mrs. Weasley took a momentary break, huffing and puffing, then she dug in again. "If you wanted to practice Quidditch, you should've done it in the daylight! Now you'll be de-gnoming the garden for the next two weeks!" Molly finished.
Ron just sat there, cursing under his breath at the crap Fred and George caused for him. They could never do anything out of kindness. It always had to be an even trade. Ron couldn't wait until their visit was over. As Molly banged around the kitchen louder than usual, Ron sulked out of the kitchen and up to the twin's old room to speak with them.
He opened the door and the pair looked at him pitifully. "Hey, at least you survived." Fred said, as he was packaging some of his famous fireworks for the store.
"Yea, just think of what might've happened if we told the truth" George said, very truthfully. Had Ron told the truth, he would have his mother, and an angry veela to deal with.
"Well thanks a lot anyway," Ron said to the malicious duo, "I've got garden de-gnoming duty for the next two weeks."
The twins winced and each of them apologized for Ron's cruel fate, but they made sure to add in that he should watch his back some and not always his member. Ron nodded his head as he backed out of the door and made his way to his own room. He pulled out his stationary and started on that letter to Harry.
Dear Harry,
I am still so bored here, it's killing me! Mom is always on my back about something or another and the Twins have come to stay, so you know they're causing hell. Don't tell anyone, but Fred and George caught me last night, wanking on my bed. They almost told Mom, but instead they lied and said I was trying to sneak out. How are things there? Let me know when you can come down to the Burrow, I could use the company. Hope to see ya soon mate.
Ron
When Ron finished up his letter, he released Pig and got it tied to his leg after it took a few laps around his head. When he let him out of the window, he watched it fly until it was out of sight and then decided to clear some of that summertime homework that had been assigned...
Ron heard a knock at the door later that night. He knew his father had gotten home late again. He heard his mother answer the door with the personal question they all had been trained to use in these times, then answered one he gave her. Ron ambled down the stairs to see his father, he was the only one up except his parents. When he got to the hallway in front of the door, he saw that his father was absent-mindedly removing his jacket and hat, completely missing the coat rack, and then flopped into a kitchen chair.
"Hey Dad" Ron said, looking at his father who was slumped over in exhaustion.
"Hey Ron, how's it going?" his father replied, the fatigue thick in his voice.
"Have a bad day at the office?" Ron asked, he already knew the answer from the time and the shape his father made it home in.
"What makes you say that?" Arthur asked his son.
"Well, you're late, again" Ron said, not caring about the bluntness and insensitivity of his words,
"What do you mean by that?" Arthur asked his son, giving him an odd look and waiting for a reply.
"I don't know, you're just not around much anymore…" Ron said, knowing his father would more than likely explode.
"I'm around… It's not like I'm gone all the time" Arthur said in his defense, as he pulled off his socks.
Ron watched his mother bustle around the kitchen at two 'o clock in the morning to heat Arthur's dinner and his blood began to boil.
"You're never here Dad. Why do you think the twins left home? It's probably why Percy left too!" Ron said, his emotion getting the best of him, causing his voice to crack. Ron wanted to say so much more, about how he missed everything for work, holidays, Ron's Quidditch games and anything else that happed outside the walls of the Ministry. Arthur sat there, chewing on his son's harsh words, then decided to evade the conversation until the morning.
"Ron, I'm too tired for this right now" he said, hoping it would be a good enough excuse to appease the boy. He got up and started for the stairs.
Then, Molly interjected and told Ron to leave his father be so he can sleep. Following molly's advice, Arthur continued to make his way up the stairs.
"Fine, walk away! Then go to work tomorrow and be too tired tomorrow night! But understand that I am growing up whether you are here or at the Ministry. I'm getting to where I really don't need you anymore, and if you wanna change that, you better figure out a way without me, 'cause I'm too tired to stay up."
With that, Ron barreled up the stairs without giving either of his parents time to react, into his room, and slammed himself onto the bed. Although he scorned himself for being girly and childish, he cried himself to sleep.