"R-Ronald Weasley!" Hermione screeched in horror, like she was just run over by a Mack truck at the sight of him kissing a girl who never appeared in her life. Her Ron… her best friend Ron… was locking lips with some… Some stranger! Who was she? Why was she at the Burrow!... And why did her fiery locks and icy cold stare send a numb feeling down Hermione's back side?
When Ron parted from the kiss, he looked at Hermione very non-chalantly, as if trying to make a point. "Would you stop calling me Ronald already? You're not my mum…"
"Is this 'Mione?" The girl, who was near nude to begin with, stood up quietly. Amazingly, she looked a lot like Ron. The same crimson hair, shady blue eyes, even the lips seemed similar. They could have been twins if they really tried, but she knew for a fact that Ron did not have a twin, especially a girl one. "It is a pleasure to meet you… Hermione… I am Regina, Ron's sister."
Then the sickening look of horror swept Hermione like the fifth of the ten plagues. She felt like she was going to vomit all over the floor. He… Was just snogging… His sister!
"Ch-Charming…" she placed out her hand slowly, hesitantly at first. Even if it was a disgusting display of affection… Might as well pretend to be nice. "I'm Hermione Granger."
Regina, looking upon this show of politeness, snorted maliciously and turned it down. "I wouldn't dare want to shake someone's hand who found me so 'disgusting,' even if it was a friend of Ron's. I don't care if you think my love for my brother is demented or weird. It is my passion, not yours. And I suggest if you plan to stay here, you keep those rude thoughts about me out of your head."
Firmly, but coldly, Regina stood up with her coffee mug and left the room. With it she left a negative feeling around Hermione and Ron. Hermione looked up to Ron, dumbfounded at the way she was able to peer into her mind, and hurt by the now harsher look Ron seemed to be sharing with her. Once Regina was out of ear shot, he began to shout. "What the hell was that about Hermione! The whole 'disgusting' thing!"
"I-I don't understand! I didn't say a word to her!" Hermione frowned a bit, growing more tense by the minute. "And why are you taking her side? You saw how rude she was to me!"
"Then you shouldn't question my feelings for her!" He snarled with fury, his eyes almost matching his hair: demonically red. "You don't understand us! None of you understand us! How can you feel something as pure as this? Well you can't! You're all destined to get screwed over! And good riddance to you!"
He immediately stormed the same path as Regina, slamming the door to his bedroom behind him. Silence lit up the kitchen as Harry and Hermione stood together. Hermione at this point couldn't stop the build up of tears in her eyes, each dripping down in perfect drops along her cheek. She started to sniffle and cry bitterly, but her throat closed up and refused to release a note from it. She bowed her head and cried softly to herself as immediately Harry held her tightly and comforted her. There was confusion, anger, disappointment and a sad loss circling around them. Someone had swept Ron from under their feet and took him away.
"So… You're saying that these Opposite twins are born-again lovers?" Hermione held her cup to her breast as Harry made them some toast with jam and recalled the story he heard from Fred and George the night before. "Why hasn't any doctor prevented this?"
"They're restless souls, Hermione. Medicine can't fix that." He took a bite of toast and chewed it with much satisfaction. "They had Regina put away for a while, we know, but why release her now?"
She shrugged, feeling a little bitter now after the messy scene from the kitchen. She took a sip from the smoldering cup and let our a curt sigh. "It's probably all this talk about Lord Voldermort gaining power again. I mean, even Hogwarts wasn't that safe from him. I assume Mr. and Mrs. Weasley did it for Regina's protection. She is still their first daughter after all…"
Harry nodded, thinking the majesty of Regina's eyes. For the moment, he groaned and cursed himself for suddenly falling under her spell. Everything about her seemed to hold him a slave to her word, her breath and sigh. But knowing her history with Ron, there was no way he could ever pry her for a minute and tell her how he felt. How he longed. "So, what powers does Ron get?"
"Huh? Powers?"
"You're the one who told me, Harry!" Hermione took a breath to regain composure. "When you told me that they get powers as they draw closer together, I realized something: What are Ron's? I mean, his personality is very different, but it has not affected him in any other areas."
Harry thought for a moment, a part of last night's story coming back to his mind. "Fred and George said that once, Ron was so furious that someone had touched Regina, he nearly killed another child bare-handed. And he was only about five at the time. Maybe his strength increases or something."
"That 'or something' might affect his magic-performance too. At school, you and I both know he was not the top student there. Perhaps his lack of Regina made him a poorer student. Maybe, she's like his source of power…"
"What are you talking about?" Ginny stood quietly in the door way, attracting both attentions from those deep in conversation. Her thin body could be made out within the sheerness of her pajamas. "Mum wants to know if you want to join the rest of us for breakfast, Romeo and Juliet are huddled away in their room again."
She sneered out the last part, turning on heel and walking back to the kitchen. Harry and Hermione joined her quickly to wish the Weasleys good morning. Mrs. Weasley hastily ran through the kitchen preparing breakfast. She popped from oven to toaster and loaded each plate to the brim with food. Harry noticed also that she had started to prepare a tray with food for those who had refused to come out. He heard dribbles of words she muttered as she got everything together. "Oh my babies… It's happening again… Poor mother… Poor wife!"
She blames herself for everything… Harry felt his heart sank. To him, Mrs. Weasley was probably the best mother in the world. And now that she was re-instated with this mess, she was beating her mind black and blue. He walked up to her quietly and took her by the wrist. "I can finish making breakfast, why don't you go talk to them…"
Mrs. Weasley let out a sigh, relieved at being offered the chance to have a break for the first time that morning. She wiped her hands on her cozy apron and thanked Harry quietly. Walking past him, she picked up her loaded tray and headed up the stairs, still muttering softly as she walked away; "Poor mother… Poor wife!" Harry turned his attention to the stove, lifting his wand and chanting an incantation to prepare the rest of breakfast for the family.
"Darlings…" Mrs. Weasley's knuckles rapped like a feather on the door of their bedroom. She took a deep breath and turned the door knob. She pushed the rest of the door with her shoulder. "I-I brought your breakfast for you…"
Regina was sobbing. Just sobbing. Her back hunched over as she wept into her hands, looking like a hurt, small child. Ron rubbed her back softly, trying to comfort her as best he could. But it seemed to be to no avail. Mrs. Weasley quickly and instinctively was moved to her maternal side. "Regina! What on earth is the matter?"
"Oh, Mommy!" Regina threw herself into her mother's arms, continuously sobbing like a child in need. "That girl is awful! I hate her! She thought the most horrible things about me and Ron! She called us disgusting and wretched! Mommy, why can't people understand I don't know how to fight this! I hate it! I hate her!"
She wept all her sorrows into Mrs. Weasley's breast. Every bit of it took the air right out of her mother's lungs. Hesitantly, Molly Weasley wrapped her wide arms around her daughter, and held her tightly caressing her hair. "Hush darling, don't cry… Mummy is here for you… Don't cry … Mummy is here…"
Ron leaned on the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. A bit of relief felt like it was finally being pushed out of him. Mum was finally treating Regina like her daughter: Something not to be feared and misunderstood. He watched as the two embraced for what he hasn't seen in over seven years: Compassion, love. Regina wanted this for almost all their lives, ever since he could probably remember.
Ever since he was little, he could always remember people staring at him and Regina. It was the same expression on every adults face: Their eyes would be sad and they would always be shaking their heads, as if a boy and his sister were like a car crash that no one could really look away from. Random people would walk up to their mother and offer things: A place to hide them, offers to buy one of the twins so they "wouldn't lead such miserable lives." Others just insulted Mrs. Weasley right then and there, saying it was an abomination to bring "such monsters" into the world. He supposed it just reminded a lot of people of "You-know-who," who led a campaign to kidnap and hold Opposite Twins for experiments and medical purposes. He knew for a fact that if he and Regina were just a few years older, that they would be subjects of named horrible fates.
Regina finally stopped crying after a while. She wiped her red-strained eyes on the sleeve of her shirt. "Thanks for making me feel better, Mum."
Mrs. Weasley shushed her, caressing her hair and planting a kiss on her forehead. "It's the least I could do, dearest…"
"So we all agree: Ron and Regina must be separated." Hermione was running a semi-family meeting in the living room with Harry, Fred, George and Ginny. She decided that the only sensible thing to do with the current circumstance, was to devise how to fix it as best as humanly possible. "The question is: How do we separate them when they are attached at the hip."
"It's a waste of time," Ginny grunted. She sprawled lazily on the sofa and popping the bones in her back. "after being reunited for the first time in seven years, Ron isn't going to let her out of his sight or hands."
"Unless it was with someone he trusted…" Fred murmured. He stroked his chin carefully trying to think of a plan. "Who is the person that Ron trusts most in the world?"
"Well not me anymore." Hermione growled sorely. The wound of losing Ron to his fairer twin was a bit of a let down considering she felt their relationship was finally getting somewhere. "And since the family was the group that put Regina in the mental home in the first place, I doubt he is going to trust your mum or dad ever again…"
George jumped up in realization. "That's it! Harry is the only logical person that Ron would turn to!"
Harry nearly jumped out of his skin when George shouted. "W-What! Me! Why the bloody hell would he trust me!"
"He's got a point, Harry." Hermione crossed the room and placed her hand on Harry's shoulder. "You and Ron have been best mates since first year, no matter what has happened to either of you. He turns to you for practically every event. So it must be you who has to pull those two apart!"
Harry practically went slack jaw. He could barely believe what they were all deciding. How could he possibly pull Ron and Regina apart! For the first thing, Ron was his best mate. And Regina was his best mate's sister. It was like going against some code of honor trying to hurt either of them. But it seemed that the decision was made with out his consent, and he caved into the pressure now forced onto his sense of duty. "Alright… I guess I'm the one who is going to break up Ron and Regina… For good."
"Did you get all that, My Ron?" Regina lifted her hands from Ron's face, clearing the image of the traitors in the living discussing their demise. "I told you I hated that wench Hermione."
Ron snarled in anger, his fist pounded the air before slamming into a wall and cracking the sheet rock. "I should kill them all for their insolence!"
Regina wrapped her long thin arms around his waist, leaning her forehead on his shoulder. "It does not matter, My Ron. They will no chance in tearing my heart from yours. I love you, and you alone."
He started to smirk, a tight lipped smirk that spread across his features and he turned around to hold Regina in his arms. He cupped her face in the palm of his hand "I will always feel the same, My Regina. But I believe I have a plan for the bastards who would dare separate us again…"
For who ever actually reads this...
Sorry I took some time to post this. My aol service has been down so I couldn't get my story up and running. And it's not letting me use a ruler so I used the underscore to seperate parts. How annoeying is that! Hopefully if I use the school computer during the year, this sort of thing won't happen. Happy reading!
love,
Ceres
