I was now on my way to Harry and Ginny's house. They picked me up in their Mercedes (yes Harry still liked to travel the muggle way at times). The three girls cried while I waited outside. I told them that I would see them within the next month. Bob then took me aside and told me to be a good kid, and to let him and everyone else know if I needed anything. He told me once again how much he loved me, and how much he would miss me. He gave me a one arm hug, and went back inside. He couldn't watch me leave. Amy, on the other hand, was the total opposite. She made sure I hadn't forgotten to pack anything, and then started to hug me repeatedly. About five minutes into this, Harry and Ginny came. My things were already on the porch, and so my things were packed in the trunk within a matter of minutes. Ginny watched from the side of the car, while I said goodbye to everyone, one final time. It was particularly hard for me to say goodbye to Amy, because she was the first mother I ever had. I had tears in my eyes by the time all the "goodbyes" were done.
I walked slowly to the car. Harry opened the door for me, and shut it when I sat down on a leather seat. Harry and Ginny then proceeded to get into the car themselves, and Harry started it. As we left the driveway, I saw Bob peeping from the out of the curtain. He had been watching the entire time. We passed the homes in my neighborhood, and the all places my friends and I hung out. Then it hit me- I was leaving the only place where I felt I belonged. The tears came even faster the second time around.
Harry had been watching me from his mirror. He saw when the tears started to fall, and tried to talk to me to ease the pain.
"Ron I know that this must be hard for you. But I promise it will get easier," Harry said, "I know if my parents had been alive while I was growing up, and introduced to them at your age, I wouldn't know how to think or feel but all we're asking is for you to give us a chance. We will ease you into this whole magic thing. We know that you can't do it, but will figure something out. How about this, when we get home you and I together can play your favorite sport?"
I rubbed my nose with a tissue in the pocket. While he talked the tears still kept coming. It was like I couldn't stop. I hardly ever cried, even when I went from foster home to foster home. But now I was, and I couldn't stop.
"That would be…that would be….nice," I managed to say back, but just barely.
"Harry, stop the car," Ginny commanded. Harry did as he was told. He pulled out beside the curb near a building where I was first introduced to Bob and Amy. I started to sob even harder at thought. Ginny jumped out of the front seat, and within a few seconds, I heard the door nearest to me open, and I saw a flash of red hair. Ginny sat right beside, and pulled me into a hug. I clung to her and sobbed into her shoulder. "It's going to be okay, baby. We have found each other, and I won't let anything happen to you agaom," she kept repeating. I feel asleep to the sound of her voice.
The next thing I knew I was been woken up. "C'mon Ron sweetie, it's time to wake-up," Ginny said in my ear. I slowly opened my eyes, and realized the car had stopped. Ginny still held onto my tightly. Harry turned around and looked at my mother and me from the drivers' seat and smiled at the sight of the two of us and announced, "We're here!"
Ginny got out of the car on one side, and I got out from the other. I looked and saw in front of me a two-level house. It was white, with blue shutters. The door looked liked it was painted in a gold color, and it glistened in the sun. In front of the house, there was about a half an acre of land, which led to the stone path that ended right in front of the door. There was a garage to the right side of the house, and a long driveway that led to it. Trees and a stone wall blocked the view of the house. The house in one word could be described as: elegant.
I must have been looking at it in awe, because the next thing I knew Harry was chuckling slightly. "I'll get your bags later, first let's give you a tour of the house, and you can see your room!"
"Okay," I replied. Ginny took my hand and leaded me to the front door. She took out her key, and opened the door which led to a little room where the coats could be hung, and it leaded to the formal living room on the left, the family room on the right, and in front of where we were standing was the stairs to the bedrooms. The little room was quite nice in its own way. There was a nice painting of a sunny day and a pond on the wall, and flowers in a vase on a table near it. I could tell that my parents were very well off.
"Come with me. Let me give you the tour," Ginny announced with a smile on her face. Harry followed.
I followed her into many rooms. Each room was more extravagant than the next. I was first shown the living room. It was done in lavender and there was a nice sofa, and chairs. The dining room had a long wooden table, with nice wooden chairs. The kitchen had two stoves and two refrigerators. It seemed unnecessary, but hey what do I know? After I saw these rooms, I followed her into the family room. There was a large television in the room, it was centered in the middle of the entertainment center. There was also a fire place in the room. Pictured decorated the top of it. I walked closer to the fire place, and realized the pictures were moving to my amazement! "Magic," I thought to myself. In even closer inspection, I realized that many of these moving pictures were of me when I was a baby. There was one of me at a year old, where I was dressed in blue overalls and I was walking to my father. Harry had his arms opened, and when I reached him he picked me up and threw me into the air. I was giggling madly. I picked up another picture and saw that it was my first birthday, because I was wearing a party hat. I was in my mothers arms and she gave me a kiss on the cheek. My father then took me from her and repeated her actions. I smiled broadly at my father, and he kissed me on the cheek again. My mother watched the interaction between the two of us with a smile on her face.
A voice spoke lightly into my ear. It was Ginny's. "When we realized who we were, we got in touch with our family. We hoped by some miracle that they had you. But they didn't. We saw them two days after we regained our memories, and it was bittersweet. We were happy to remember and be with them, but we missed you terribly. The worst thing was the not knowing. We didn't know if you were safe and well cared for. So we decided to go back to our original home, the home you lived in when you were a baby. We took these photos out, and brought them back to this house. In those three months, when everything seemed terrible and we just couldn't seem to find out where you were, I would look at this photo," she said while indicating with her finger the photo in my hand, "It would give me the inspiration to get up each morning, and look for you. And one morning after three months I got that one precious phone call saying that you were found."
I looked up into her eyes, and they sparkled back at me. "Come, let me show you the upstairs and your room," Ginny commanded lightly. I followed her up the stairs and saw four doors. Ginny took me into the first door, directly across from the stair case. I looked in and noticed Harry right away. He was putting my bags away.
"So this is your room, you like it?" Ginny asked. I came into the room fully, and was rather amazed. There was a foster poster double bed in the middle of the room, a desk and a chair facing the window, a bean bag chair, and identical posters of what I had on the wall at Amy and Bob's house.
"Ya, I like it a lot. Thanks," I said in awe.
"There is no need to thank us, sweetheart. I'm just sorry we haven't been able to do this before," Ginny said.
Harry smiled at me. "I got the same bean bag chair and posters you had at your other house. I thought you would like it," he said somewhat proudly that he remembered.
I grinned back at him. My mom cut in, "Umm…Ron, do you really need the posters of those big chested blondes?" she asked with her eyebrows raised at me.
Harry and I smirked at each other. "Ginny, let the boy have them, what hurt could they cause him?" Harry said laughing slightly.
"HaHa," Ginny said sarcastically and swatted Harry's head playfully. "Come let us show you the rest of the house," Harry said while rubbing the back of his head.
They showed me the rest of the house. The door to the right of my room, was a guest room, and the third door was my bathroom. It had two sinks and a nice size tub. Finally, they showed me the where the fourth door led to. I figured it was their bedroom, and I was correct. The master bedroom could be described in one word: magnificent. There was a four poster king size bed in the middle done in red. There was an elegant black couch facing their bed, and two mahogany dressers next to the window. On the opposite side, there was a small mahogany table which had a small stack of papers on it. There bedroom also came equipped with two walk in closets, and off of there bedroom was a door that led to their private bathroom. It looked like a room that the nicest hotel would have for their best customers. I was speechless leaving that room.
"Ron, I'm going to start dinner, and your Dad is going in the back yard to fix some things up. You can stay with either one of us, or you can do whatever you want," Ginny informed me.
"I'll go back to my room, call me when dinners ready," I answered back. As wonderful at this house was, I needed some time to think. I think my mother sensed that. I walked back into my room, and put my possessions away. I got onto my bed, and lied down. I realized it wouldn't be another three weeks until I saw Amy, Bob and the girls. This house was beautiful, but it was not my home. "I better make myself like this place, because I will be miserable for far too long if I hate it," I said to myself. Thoughts of that sort were going through my mind, until I was called down to dinner.
We ate in the formal dining room since me being home for the first time was a very special event. They proceeded to tell me all about the family. Apparently, two of my mom's brothers, Bill and Ron, died during the final battle. They told me they decided to name me after Ron, because he was not only my mother's brother but my father's best friend as well. Of course, my father's adventures were also brought up.
"So wait you fought a Baskilisk in your second year, and flew around a dragon in your fourth," I asked while scooping myself a second serving of mashed potatoes.
My father smiled sadly. "It's not as glamorous as you think it is. A mad man was after me, if you can call him a man at all, and it was very scary. But hey, I was fortunate enough to beat him in the end. But unfortunately, it wasn't the same fate for all the death eaters…many of those rotten scum survived…..," he said sharply.
"They survived? Did they do anything heinous to you after their leader was killed?" I asked him.
Ginny looked at me carefully. "Did Amy and Bob tell you about why we were both separated from you?" she asked.
I put my fork down. I looked at them and answered, "No, they didn't."
Harry looked at me and then began to speak. "When you were a few months old we discovered you were a squib. Somehow that information got leaked to some of the remaining death eaters, but we did not know that. The night we left you with the baby sitter, we were going out to dinner, and we were ambushed on the way there. The death eaters wanted to kidnap you to get back at us," Harry gritted his teeth, "but we wouldn't tell them where you were so they cursed us," he finished with anger in his voice.
"Oh- wow," is all I could manage to say. I was the cause of all of this? Being a squib was turning out to be great-just great.
"I'm sorry," I blurted out. I always seemed to be a burden one way or another.
Ginny looked at me. "Honey, there is nothing for you to be sorry for. You were just a baby, and I would do it all again if I had too," she said slightly smiling at me.
The rest of dinner was a quiet affair. I was just about done when Harry called me back to tell me one quick thing. "We are all going to the Burrow tomorrow," he looked at me and then added, "where your mom's parents live because everybody wants to see you." I nodded my head and went up the stairs.
I went and got myself ready for bed. I was going to meet a bunch of wizards and witches tomorrow, and I would be the only one there who didn't have magical capabilities. I didn't want to be the odd one out, but it seemed that it was turning out that way. Just as I was shutting out the lights to put myself to bed, there was a knock on the door. Harry and Ginny peaked into my room.
"Can we come in Ron?" my mother asked.
"Sure," I responded back.
They walked in, and Harry sat on my bed. He looked at me carefully, before speaking. "I know that this must be difficult. You're in a house with two people you really don't know, and to add onto it you have to do with the fact that we are wizards. I know that this is scary, but it will get better. We love you very much, always remember that," he and Ginny then kissed my forehead and shut the door behind them. I feel into and uneasy sleep.
Next morning…..
"Ron, sweetie, it's time to leave," my mother yelled from the living room. I just had finished getting dressed. My parents said something about flooing there, but as usual I had no idea what that was.
I walked down the stairs, and saw my father smile at me. "Ready Bud?" he asked. "Just one other thing, you're mum's brothers kids don't know your squib. They just know that you have some trouble with magic. It's not that were hiding it from them; we just want you to tell them when you're ready. Okay?" I nodded my head. "Alright, let me show you how we are getting there."
I nodded my head yet again. I followed him over to the fire place. "Okay, this is going to seem strange, but trust me it is safe. You take this (he took some powder out of a container on the mantle) throw it into the fire, the flames will turn colors mind you, yell "The Burrow" and go in. You will feel like you're going around in circles, but you'll land at the bottom of the fireplace at your grandparents place. When we come home later yell The Potter's, and you'll come back the way you came. Watch, your Mom will do it first, then you'll go, and I'll be last," my father explained.
I felt uneasy. I mean I was going into a fire for goodness sake. But I promised that I would try to make this work for all of our sakes.
"Watch me Ron," my mother said coming into the living room. She smiled at me then through in the powder into the fireplace. "The Burrow" she yelled out, and went straight into the fire, and disappeared.
"Okay, Ron you go. Do what your mother just did and you'll be fine," my father told me. I took a deep breath, took the powder from the can, and through into the fire. "The Burrow" I yelled out, and went right into the fire. My father was right. I felt that I was going in circles, finally when I felt I could take no more I landed ungracefully in the fireplace of my grandparent's home. I looked at saw my mother holding her hand out to me. I grabbed it, and just in time because my father came through the moment I had gotten up.
I looked up, and saw I was in a small but cozy kitchen. "Welcome Ron, to my parent's, your grandparents home. Everybody is very excited to meet you. They are all waiting in the living room.
My mother took my hand and guided me there, before I could even look inside the room, an older lady grabbed me, and held onto me for dear life. "Oh, look at you, so grown up. I haven't seen you since you were a baby! We all missed you so so much," the lady said.
"Mum, let me tell him who you are," Ginny said. My grandmother, then let me go. "I think he knows Ginny dear, as you referred to her as Mum," my father replied. Ginny faked glared at him.
"Hi," I replied timidly back.
"Hi Ron" many voices chorused back. I looked around the room and was startled to see many redheads staring at me back. That's when it began. I was introduced to all of my mum's brothers, their wives, and children. Of course, I met my grandfather as well. It seemed that the twins both had two children each (George had Frankie and Carly twins actually both 16) (Fred had Mary and Suzy aged 15), Percy had one (Ann age 14), and Charlie had none. They all were very nice, and the grandchildren all seemed very friendly, but a tight group. I just knew that it would take a long time before I was accepted by them. George and Fred commented I looked like my late Uncle Ron. This brought tears to my mothers' eyes. "I miss him," I heard her say.
Before I knew it, it was time to eat. All of us squeezed into the tiny kitchen. I sat between my parents at the end of the table, anxious to eat. The food was served, and I listened to the idle chit chat all around me. My parents looked at me from time to time and I smiled as if to say that I was fine. Dinner came to an end, and I must admit that I was enjoying myself. It seemed that life at the Burrow was interesting. We moved into the living room, and I found myself again listening to the chatter. I was very peaceful, until I heard my wonderful cousins start a conversation about squibs.
"Hey Suzy, guess what I found out that Neville Longbottom's son is squib," Ann announced. All the adults stopped talking. "I know," said Suzy back, "What a terrible existence. Imagine living in a world that you could not participate in? Knowing for the rest of your life that you will never be able to what others' do. It's such a shame, I tell you. Not only, not being able to do magic but the stigma that comes along with that!"
"Suzy!" my Uncle Fred yell. Apparently, my uncle knew that I was a squib. Then the realization hit, all the adults knew except the children! I could feel my ears, and my face start to burn.
"Oh come on Uncle Fred," Ann said, "It's not like anyone here is a squib. Thank Goodness for that I tell you. I can't imagine, if there were. Not only would they embarrass themselves, but us as well!"
I looked at my mother. She looked back at me compassionately. Just as she was going to say something I said, "I am going to get some water. I'll be right back." With that, I left the living room. I had no intention of getting a drink; I was going to the leave the Burrow instead.
I took some floo powder of their mantle, and whispered, "The Potter's", and I was out of there. I could swear I could hear some whispering coming from the other room, but I left before I could check.
I landed back at my parent's house. I knew I had to get back to somewhere where I was considered normal, and not an embarrassment. I decided to go back to the only place I called home, Amy's and Bob's house. I packed my things quickly and left the house. It was too far of a walk, so I decided to take the bus. I walked the back roads to the bus stop (which was a mile and a half away) and thought about how screwed up my life really was. I was a squib, but not only that I was the son of a man who defeated the darkest wizard ever, and my mother had unbelievable magical power as well. Well, at least I could live in the muggle world and be normal. Harry and Ginny would have to understand. I didn't want to be an embarrassment to any one.
Just as I was about two blocks away from the bus stop, a car pulled up in front of me rousing me out of my thoughts. It was my father. He started to get out of the car, and I walked passed him. I wanted to be back to a place where I wasn't considered a freak.
"Ron, wait!" my father yelled. I knew I should have kept walking, and could have pretended that I never learned about the wizarding world. But yet, I stopped. I turned around, and Harry walked quickly over to me.
"Ron, I'm sorry. They didn't know, but you're uncles gave them a firm talking too. They won't ever say anything like that ever again," Harry said as if to appease me.
"Well, that's good for them. But they made me realize that I have no place in this world. And you know they are right. I can't do magic, so why should I live in a world where everybody else can? I won't live in a world where I am considered an embarrassment! Thank you, and tell Ginny as well, for showing me where I came from. My questions have been answered. May you both live a very happy life together." I started to walk away, but Harry caught my arm and didn't let go. He turned to face me.
"We won't be happy, if you are not with us. And you will never be an embarrassment! I won't ever let that happen. I know that you feel like you don't belong, I felt that way for the first eleven years of life. It will take time and at times it won't be easy, but it will get better. I know that I seem to say that a lot, but please give it some time. Please?" he then grabbed me and pulled me into a tight hug in the middle of the street.
"I love you Ron, and so does your mother. You're my son, and I want to be the father that you deserve to have. I want to be able to provide you with everything you need. Please let me have that chance?" he asked while his face was buried in my hair.
I didn't have the heart to say no. "Okay," I said quietly. "Okay," he happily replied back. He didn't let me go for quite a while. He was content to have me in his arms, and to be honest I was glad to be in his.
Once Harry and I arrived back at the house, Ginny came running out to meet us. I was barely out of the car door, when Ginny grabbed me into a tight hug also.
"I was so scared that you left and you wouldn't be coming back," my mother said. "It's okay Gin, we talked about, it's alright now," my father said to reassure her. My mother continued on. "When you didn't come back with your glass of water, I went to check on you. You were gone, and the floo container was opened. I knew that you left, and by the time we got back here we realized you weren't in the house. I was so scared that you weren't going to give us a second chance!" my mother cried out.
I looked at my mother and decided to be honest with her. "I was planning to leave, and go back to Amy and Bob's house where I was considered normal and not an outcast. Then Harry showed up, and spoke to me about the situation. I will give this another try, because you are my parents and I want to get to know you both," I said truthfully.
My mother nodded and hugged me again as if to soothe me. I knew though that if this kind of prejudice continued I would be forced to protect myself even if that meant not living wit my parents. "Just wait and see," I thought to myself.
Next chapter: Duels and their effects- Ron witnesses first hand why everybody in the magical community views his father and mother to be very powerful and what that means for him.