Fourteen year old Ron Weasley wasn't sure what was going on. One moment he was he was in bed after Ginny's birthday, thinking which owl would be available tomorrow to send his letters to Harry and Hermione, and another, there was loud CLASH sound from the kitchen and tears in the eyes of his Mum. And then there was an angry Charlie yelling, his Dad looking ten years older, and a stoic Percy. Ron placed a frustrated hand on his head. What on Earth was happening today?!
If Charlie's yelling was trusted, It was Percy who said something and Ron couldn't believe that. Percy had given their parents good grief at times, but he'd never thought it would get so… extreme one day? He didn't believe it anyway.
Now he was on the couch, with an equally frustrated and somewhat sleepy Ginny. The twins on the other hand looked perfectly content to sleep while he and his sister tried their best not to. In some other room, their parents argued about something none of them were sure about. Except Percy maybe. He heard a frustrated sigh beside him.
"What is going on Ron? Why are we awake at this hour and why is everybody arguing?"
"Don't know, Gin. We're better off sleeping."
"Hmmm. Good night, Ron."
Ron watched her fight sleep for a second before her head slumped on one of their Mum's hand made cushions.
He sighed. He couldn't sleep, until he understood how they got there. They'd always been the ideal family. His parents were war-heroes with the most perfect, successful kids. Despite their surname being dirt for those fanatic pure bloods, if anyone thought of a British Wizarding family in present-day, they'd see a bunch of red heads of varying colours. It troubled him to think this, but he never really felt like he fit in that image. There was always was something inherently dark in him and a side he'd never let anybody see no matter what. And no-one even asked him anything anyway…
Gosh, That was a lot of thinking.
He shut his eyes waiting for sleep and a familiar red hair woman came to his eyes followed by a blonde guy. They placed him in somebody's cold hands. The woman looked so unemotional and the man held her hand as they walked away. Dread filled him as the hands moved him away and they got smaller and smaller and he felt his cheeks get wet…
"—Ronald wake UP!" Ginny's voice woke him up with a start. She proceeded to look at him in worry. "Did you have a nightmare, Ron?"
Ron looked at her confused. "Why Ginny?"
"You were sobbing like a baby in your sleep."
Ron touched his cheek and was shocked to feel tears. Ginny shook her head.
"Come with me."
She pulled his hand and rushed up the stairs to the extra fireplace where they generally Floo'ed to places in emergency. He'd heard it was last used for some secret business in the war. Ginny wordlessly pointed at the edge of the room where both Mum and Dad stood near it waiting in silence for someone. Ron looked at the window beside the door. It still looked like the middle of the night.
"What time is it, Ginny?"
"Shhh!" Ginny shushed him, but it was too late. Arthur opened the door.
"What are you two doing here?" he asked sternly.
"We were loo—."
"No lying, Ginny"
Ron wondered what she would tell him, but before he could do something about it…
"Ron had a nightmare."
He felt uncomfortable under his father's gaze. Dad sighed.
"This night has been taking a toll on all of us." He let them in. His mum, at the end of the room, her face deep in thought as she stared in the fire. The room seemed so silent that Ron felt sorry to break it.
"What's the time, Gin?"he whispered in Ginny's ears. Someone else heard him.
"Speak a little louder, Ron" his father asked him rather loudly. Ron averted his gaze, and Dad sighed, neither of this happening for the first time in the night.
"It's 1:45."
Finally a figure jumped out of the fire.
"What was the emergency, Dad?"
Their father looked at him and Ginny.
"Wake up the twins and call Charlie and Percy, both of you."
Two minutes later, the entire Weasley family bundled up in the biggest room available in the Burrow. Fred and George discussed the reasons for the sudden reunion with him before their Dad commanded silence.
"Does anybody of you know why the Weasleys are called blood traitors?"
"We fought in a war against pure-bloods despite being one of them. Why the question, Dad?"
Mr Weasley sighed for the umpteenth time.
"No. The Bones, The Longbottoms and the Macmillians fought in the war too. James even married Lily, a muggleborn, yet I doubt you've seen them been called blood-traitors."
There was a sudden silence in the room. Some looked like they'd been slapped in the face.
"I know what questions you all must be going through. Let me start the story this way. During the war, Molly realised her reproductive system was damaged. We were a mess but we always thought we could try treatment both muggle and Wizarding later. Then after a few year into our marriage, the war broke out and we decided that treatment could wait. Both of us continued with our jobs and secretly joined Dumbledore's secret force against Voldemort. It was horrible expirence and we were often too late at several places. You guys following me?"
There was silence.
"At one such place, we were saw a dead father. There was no sign of the mother, who we presumed was a witch and must have escaped. As we searched the apartment, we found two boys hidden in the attic. Both were presumably brothers by their similar appearance and neither of them looked well tended to. We took them to Dumbledore, hoping to find a foster home for them. However every family we found wanted only one of them. But ultimately, all refused since no one wanted to separate the siblings."
Arthur paused and looked around. All of them seemed totally engrossed in the story.
"Then…"
"I can't allow you to continue." Molly turned to the kids. "Go bed, each one of you. NOW. Forget something happened tonight."
"Molly…"
"I let this go on for too long, Arthur. They can't know…"
"What we can't know, Mum? That you people probably gave the kids away to an orphanage?" Charlie jerked in, voice filled in anger.
Arthur looked shocked. What in his narration got Charlie to assume that?
"Sure, think that the end of the tale. Not all stories have happy endings."
"That didn't happen Charlie." Bill's face turned pallid as he put two and two together. "Tell us, Mum."
"Tell you what Bill? That each one of my children are adopted—." Molly's tongue slipped before she could catch herself. She watched her children process that in horror.