Chapter 18: Sick Day
The next morning Ron woke up early, hopeful that he had finally started to break the case. He had finished his shower and was getting dressed when he heard his phone buzzing. The only person who ever called him was Hermione, so he quickly answered it.
"Good morning, you're up early," he said.
"I am freaking out and begging for help."
"What's wrong?"
"Rose is sick. Like has been throwing up since 2 am sick. And usually my parents watch her when she's ill, but they left for Paris yesterday and won't be back until Sunday night. And I have to be in court in London in 2 hours. And I can't bring her with me if she's still vomiting everywhere, and I don't want to leave her alone sick when I can't have my phone on since I'll be in court. Is there any chance in the world you could watch Rose today? I am so sorry to dump this on you, but I can't skip court, and I don't know what to do."
"Sure, Hermione. Of course. It's no problem."
"Oh thank God. Are you sure? You can miss work today?"
"Actually I have a bunch of research and reading to do today, so I can do it anywhere."
"Thank you so, so much. Should I bring Rose by your house?"
"If she's sick she probably would be more comfortable in her own home, don't you think? If you're ok with it, I'll drop Hugo at school and come over. She'll be ok if you have to leave a few minutes before I get there, right?"
"Oh yes, she'd be fine for a little bit. I just don't feel ok leaving her all day, especially when she's still throwing up. Ron, I owe you. Thank you so much."
"Hermione, it is really not a problem. Don't worry about it at all."
"OK. I appreciate it. I'll leave a note on the counter about what she should be able to eat, what medicine she's had and what not. She seems like she is getting a little bit better in the past few hours, but I wouldn't give her anything other than crackers, ice lollies and maybe ginger-ale. I don't think she needs a doctor as it is probably just a GI virus."
"Do you want me to bring some magical potions? There is one that is great at calming stomachs. I'd only give it to her if you are ok with it."
"Uh, I have no idea. I hadn't thought about magical medicine. Do you know if it is ok to mix with regular anti-nausea medicine?"
"It is safe to mix. We went through basic first aid training as part of auror training, and they went over exactly what can and can't mix with muggle medicines. It would be fine."
"Oh, ok then. Sure – why don't you bring that, and she can try it. I will call once I am out of court and see how you guys are doing, alright?"
"We'll be fine. Good luck with your case. I'll talk to you this afternoon, alright?"
"Thanks, Ron."
Within an hour Ron had Hugo at school and had arrived at Hermione and Rose's house.
"Rose?" he called as he opened the front door. "It's Ron. I'm here – I didn't want to scare you coming in unannounced."
"Hi Ron," she said wearily from the couch.
"Hey there, Rose. I am so sorry you're poorly today. Is there anything I can get for you? Do you need a drink or anything?"
"No thank you. Mum set me up with some ginger ale before she left."
"Have you been able to keep it down ok?"
"I haven't been brave enough to try any yet." With that, Rose bolted up from the couch and sprinted to the loo. Ron followed quickly behind her and held her long black hair out of her face as she wretched violently into the toilet. Once she was done, he ran a flannel under the cold tap and held it against her forehead and neck while she recovered sitting on the floor.
"Thanks. And, sorry. Don't know why I am crying," she sniffed.
"Maybe because you feel terrible, your mum's not here and you just threw up? Everyone cries when they do that, Rose. It's just a reflex our bodies have from all of that pressure. Don't be embarrassed by it."
She gave him a weak but appreciative smile.
"Here. Why don't you rinse your mouth and brush your teeth. That will at least help a little."
She nodded and cleaned out her mouth.
"Would you like to try a magical potion for stomachs? It is what my mum always gave us when we were throwing up, and it works really quickly. It should help your stomach settle, but it will make you a little drowsy."
"Does it taste bad?"
"Well, I wouldn't call it delicious, but it doesn't taste like feet or anything."
Rose giggled weakly. "That's gross, Ron."
"Well, I call it like I see it. So, do you want to try it?"
She nodded, so he soon dosed out the prepared potion and gave it to her. She downed it quickly, grimaced, and soon followed it with some sips of ginger ale before settling back on the couch.
"Good girl," he said. "Hopefully that should help you a lot. And, if not, I'll find a bucket to keep nearby as plan B, yeah? I brought stuff to work on today. Would you rather me stay in here or leave you be and set up in the kitchen?"
"You could stay in here. Maybe you could flip on the tele? I am feeling sleepy all of a sudden. So, maybe if we have a show playing then I can just kip a bit on an off while you do your work."
"You come up with brilliant plans just like your mum, Rose."
Ron had soon turned on the tele, and then planted himself in the easy chair next to the sofa with Neville's books as Rose slipped into a deep sleep. She didn't stir when an owl arrived from Neville carrying the long list of suppliers and distribution channels. When Rose finally awoke several hours later, she found Ron surrounded by stacks of books and parchment.
"Hey there. Look who's awake. How are you feeling?"
She paused to consider the question for a few moments and replied, "Better I think. I almost feel hungry. How long was I sleeping?"
"I am so glad you are feeling better. You slept maybe 3 hours or so, but your body clearly needed it. I don't think a full meal is a good idea, though. How about ginger ale and crackers? Or maybe an ice lollie? What sounds tolerable to you?"
"Starting with crackers and ginger ale sounds manageable I think," she said as she started to get up.
"No, no, no – you stay there," he said jumping up. "I'll get it. I can't cook like your mum but I am totally qualified to fetch crackers and ginger ale. I'll be back in a jiff."
He returned shortly with the food and drink and set it up on a small table next to the couch where she was lying down.
"Your color is looking better too," he observed. "You looked a little yellow this morning."
"Yeah, that is what mum always says is the dead give-away of when I am sick. Suddenly my brown skin looks yellow instead."
"Better than me," Ron laughed. "I am so pasty white then when I get sick like that I sort of get this translucent blue color, with red blotches of course. Really not attractive." He made a grimace at this, causing Rose to chuckle.
"None of us are at our best when puking over a toilet I suppose."
"That's for sure."
"What are you working on? Looks like mum in the library when she is researching for a case."
"Well, I'm working on my case. But, unlike your mum's cases, this case is still a mystery to me and I haven't quite figured it out yet."
"I still don't know that I totally understand what you do."
"Well, I'm an auror, which is sort of like a special type of magical detective. We focus on going after folks who may be using dark or bad magic. Some of it is just like a regular policeman I suppose, but it just has the added layers of magic in it. Hugo's mum and I were partners for almost my whole career. So, we would be assigned a problem and then have to go figure out what the issue was, understand if a law was being broken, and if so – who was doing it, what they were doing and why so that we could fix it."
"So what is your case now?"
"Well, that's the thing. I am not 100% clear on what all is happening. But, I take the clues I have and then try to unravel it from there. Hugo's mum had some notes that made it seem like she had figured some things out right before she died, but she didn't write down what she knew or how she learned it, so I am trying to go back one step at a time and figure it out. And yesterday I think I made a breakthrough connecting it to some plant smugglers. Or, maybe it's plant switcher-outers? I am not really sure on that part yet."
"I followed right up until the plants. What do they have to do with anything?"
"Some people are selling fake ingredients instead of real ones. And I am wondering if they are switching out muggle plants that look a lot like the magical plants and charging people for the magical ones instead and then profiting the difference. So, I popped up to Hogwarts yesterday to see my friend Neville – you remember meeting him in Diagon Alley? He is the smartest plant person I know. He teaches herbology at school, and I knew if anyone could help me on this it would be him."
"Did he help?"
"Well he gave me all of these books to read on the plants that are similar between magical and muggle varieties, so I have been working through that while you slept. And then he sent a list this morning of different growers and suppliers of things. I am thinking I will organize that and figure out how to start working my way through it later this week."
"Sounds like a big mystery puzzle."
"It is. And I like figuring out puzzles. It was easier with Fi though, as we helped each other brainstorm ideas and things."
"I miss them too," she said sadly. "But I don't want to say anything in front of Hugo or Mum as I think they miss them more."
"Oh Rose, you should never feel like you have to suffer by yourself. You know, when my brother Fred died I thought the same thing. I felt guilty being upset because compared to my mum who buried a child or my brother George who buried his twin I must have been better off. But, the truth is, I lost someone I loved very much who was really important to me. And I wasn't going to be able to move on with my life until I dealt with the grief. Let yourself feel sad. Or mad or whatever you feel. It's the only way to get through it. You had your own relationship with Fi and Dennis and the Creeveys that was unique to you, and it's ok to miss that."
She just smiled at him and nodded as she sighed.
"They would have loved knowing you were a witch, too. I've thought a lot about how much Fi would have enjoyed helping you learn things."
"You think?"
"Oh yeah. She was always a little bit on the crazy side, right? So, she would have loved teaching you things your mum would maybe have not wanted you to know quite yet about make-up and glamour charms and all kinds of nonsense."
"I would have liked a chance to learn all of that," she said sadly.
"Oh you still will. Have no fear – my sister Ginny or my nieces will see to that I am sure. But Fi would have had a great time with it."
"Yeah. Thanks. That's nice to hear. Did you have family friends teach you things before you went off to school?"
"Well, I had seen all 5 of my brothers go off to school at that point. So, Hogwarts wasn't quite the mystery to me that it will be to you. But, when I was little my Uncle Bilius taught me to play wizard chess. And, well, I got really good at it. So, when I went off to school that was something I felt confident in, you know? Like the one thing I knew I was good at so that I wasn't just the sixth Weasley boy in hand me down robes."
"How is wizard chess different than regular chess?"
"Oh the pieces are enchanted, so they go where you tell them and then they destroy each other on the board when you capture them."
"Wicked."
"Exactly! Do you like chess?"
"I do. I've played a little with Mum, but mostly with Grandad. I am still learning though, so I am not very good at it yet. Grandad says he doesn't believe in letting people win no matter how old they are."
"Smart man. I think the same way. That way when you do finally win you will have earned it. I still remember the first time I beat my dad. It was such an incredible feeling."
"So you're pretty good?"
"Not to brag, Rose, but I am brilliant. I haven't lost in years."
"Sounds like you're better at chess than you are at not bragging."
"Oooh. Cheeky, huh? Maybe I will just have to beat you as well."
"Really? Could you teach me to play wizard chess? Maybe I could be good at that before school starts and that could be my thing too?"
"Well, I would be honored to teach you wizard chess, Rose. But, as for it being your own thing – that will be entirely up to you. You have to find your own path Rose. How about I pop home real quick and grab my set, and we could play now. I can apparate so I won't be gone more than 5 minutes. Would you be up for it?"
"Yes please. I would love that."
"Excellent. I am tired of reading about plants anyway. I was never any good at herbology," he said.
After a brief text to Hermione to assure her Rose was feeling better, Ron and Rose had soon set up the chess board on the kitchen table. Ron quickly showed her how to direct the pieces and suggested they just jump in and play so he could get a sense of her approach to the game. While he defeated her swiftly, he was impressed at several of the moves she had been able to anticipate. Looking at her, he sensed she was anxious to hear what he thought of her game.
"So, do you want to play more?" he asked.
"Are you going to tell me what I did wrong?" she asked.
"Is that what you want me to do?"
"Well, I want to get better at chess."
"OK. Well, let's try it differently. What do you think you did well?"
When she hesitated at the question, Ron tried to guide her to see the moves he'd been impressed by. Ron moved the pieces back to how they had been at several different point in the game, and they walked through how to look at whole board and anticipate the opponent's next several moves. He wasn't sure she was following what he was saying until all of a sudden her eyes lit up. It was if everything suddenly made sense to her.
"OH! I see!"
"Yeah! It's like it all falls into place at once, isn't it," Ron said grinning.
"Yes. It is. So, wait a minute. If this was your move, what would you be thinking here?"
Ron demonstrated how he would think of where he wanted to be several moves ahead, and how he would play the series in his head of what she would do after each possible move and how he could use that to his advantage. Then he gave examples of how he would read different opponents and adjust his moves according. They worked through several moves showing how he could draw someone into a trap in order to open up part of the board or even distract the opponent from the real intention. Rose was clearly absorbing everything he said and trying to envision how she would utilize the ideas.
"So," she pondered, "when you say you love chess – what is it that takes it from fun to something you love?"
"Good question. I'm not sure. Chess was one of the few things that just always made sense to me. I was always rubbish at subjects in school. Book learning about math or potions or history was never my forte. But, with chess, it was like my brain just understood how to think about things. And then there are so many layers to the game, right? There is the first layer of just understanding the rules and what you can and can't do. But then there are strategies and approaches you can learn about and take. But, what makes it really interesting is the psychology of it. I have to take what I know of my opponent and use that to get inside their mind, figure out how they work and use it defeat them. It is that dynamic that makes every single match unique. Take my dad. I have played him hundreds of times, and each time is different. Partly we have each improved over the years. But, really it is that each time is a unique event. We are the same personalities we always are, but things influence us each and every day than impact our decisions. Maybe I had a rough day at work and so I am willing to take more risk than I usually am. Or maybe my dad is distracted thinking of a problem he was working on with George so he is more distracted. Either way, it is ever evolving. That combination of strategy, psychology and a unique experience each time – that is what I love."
"Do you think liking chess helped you be an auror?"
"Absolutely. It is so similar. You have to be able to get inside the head of the other person and then anticipate the moves you will both make. But, when I first thought about being an auror, that's not what I wanted."
"No? What did you want?"
"To be cool, make money, catch bad guys and not sit at a desk all day like my dad did."
Rose started laughing. "You picked a whole career to be cool?"
"Yeah. Let's just say it took me a while to grow up. But – hey – at least I got there, right?"
"I wonder what I will be. I thought I knew I wanted to go into law like Mum. But, now there are all of these other magical careers I had never even heard of before. I have no idea what I want to do anymore!"
"Well, since you're still only ten, I think you have plenty of time. At Hogwarts you'll take lots of different classes and then see what you enjoy, you know? My advice is to enjoy being a kid and not worry about it."
"Mum would never say something like that."
"Probably not. And she's probably right about more things than I am. But, I think your mum is naturally really smart and really organized, so planning ahead for a career probably came naturally to her. Someone like me though, if I had tried to plan it out when I was ten it would have been a total disaster."
"What would you have been?"
"Probably would have said I wanted to work at Honeydukes or be a professional quidditch player. Ironically of course, Ginny was a pro player and then I did work at the joke shop for a long time."
"So you think I should goof off more?"
"No- Merlin, Rose you'll get me in trouble with your mum! I think learning is really important. I mean – look – I spent all morning researching plants. But I know we all learn differently and mature differently, and some of us don't figure out what we are good at until much later than others. So, what I am trying to say is don't freak out if you don't figure it out right away. You're obviously brilliant like your mum. You have a keen eye for problem solving. You love reading so you can learn anything you put your mind to. So, all of that would make you good at a lot of things. But, what seems really special about you is how caring you are about the people you love, and how creative you are, and how open to new ideas you are. If you keep hold of those pieces, everything else will fall into place."
Rose beamed at him. Just then his phone buzzed.
Ron glanced at the screen, "It's your mum. You want to answer it?" She nodded and took the phone.
"Hi Mum! Ron's teaching me wizard chess."
"Hi darling, how are you feeling?"
"I am ever so much better, Mum. Ron gave me some magical potion, and then I slept for half the day. I've felt fine since I woke up. I've eaten a little and everything."
"Oh I am so glad. I hated leaving when you were so ill this morning."
"How was your court case? Did you win?"
"Yes! We did actually. My client and her daughter will get to stay in England. I am so pleased for her."
"Yeah Mum! Way to go! I knew you would do a great job."
"So Ron is teaching you wizard chess, huh? Do you like it?"
"I love it. But Ron's really good. It's going to take me a long time to figure out how to beat him. But don't worry. I'll do it eventually."
Ron chuckled as he eavesdropped, and Rose caught his laughter and made a funny face at him.
Rose chattered into the phone and her mum said she would be home soon. Once she'd hung up, Ron said, "So, you think you can beat me?"
"Definitely," announced Rose. "It could take me a while, but I'll get there."
"Well Rose, I look forward to that day too. I have no doubt you can do anything you put your mind to. In the mean time I will keep kicking your behind and enjoying it now while I can, alright?"
