Disclaimer: I do not own the concept and characters of Harry Potter. Sigh… A/N: Here is a little more of the back-story. I will be posting all these as interludes so you can get an idea of the time-line for each of the Trio, but I'll also be using them in the story proper as FLASHBACKS, so some of them may be repeated. Hope you don't mind!

Interlude

Ron, Age 3 ½

The small red-headed boy watched as his beloved older brother, and his only friend, packed his new second-hand trunk in excitement. The three-year-old didn't quite understand why his brother was leaving; but he did understand, with surprising clarity for a boy his age, that the only refuge he had in his lonely life was going away from him. Ron couldn't help but fear that this new adventure, "school", would steal the kind boy from him forever. He was pulled from his thoughts when the subject of them knelt before him.

"Isn't it great, Ron?" he gushed.

Not really, Ron thought, though nothing showed on his face.

"My first year at Hogwarts! Don't worry, little man, I'll be back for Christmas and I'll tell you all about it. You know, in a few years, you'll be all grown up and you'll go to Hogwarts too. You'll love it there, Ron. You'll make lots of friends and learn all about magic – just like me!"

The eleven-year-old stood and took something down off his bookshelf. "See this, Ron? This is how I learned to read. You can have it now," Ron took the book from his brother, sure that this would be the only birthday gift he'd receive this year, and his brother quickly showed him how to work the spells on it. "It's ok if you don't remember, I'm sure Percy will give you a hand with it." Ron was sure he wouldn't, but didn't say anything. "When I get back, you can show me how well you're doing with it."

A yell from downstairs had his brother moving back to his now-packed trunk and hauling it from the room. Ron followed him downstairs silently. The older boy leaned down one last time to give him a goodbye hug. Ron might have cried, had he been any other boy losing someone as good as a parent, but he'd learned it did no good a long time ago. He settled for fixing his sorrowful gaze on his brother, and saying quietly, "love you."

His brother grinned. "I love you, too. See you soon, little man!" And his brother was gone. It was the last time Charlie Weasley ever called him 'little man'.

TBC…

A/N: Hope you enjoyed Chapter One and this little interlude. I should have chapter two out soon, it's about half written. Enjoy!