Hey everyone,
I am going to be honest with you lot. This is going to be a rant chapter. This is the chapter where the four youngest Weasley kids and Hermione, at first, try to explain to Mrs. Weasley and the others why Harry left the way they did, but when they go unheard, they force the truth down the throats of the stubborn and the blind.
Hope you enjoy,

Venquine1990


Chapter 04
Pointing Out the Problem

25th of December 1995
Grimmauld Place, London
Ron Weasley's POV

I knew the minute that Harry and Hermione convinced mum to let them stay at Grimmauld Place that things weren't what mum might think they were like, but while it had been shocking for Ginny and me to meet up with the Longbottoms while dad was filing the paperwork for his release, had our return given us an even greater shock.
Lily and James Potter, two people that have been missed by no one more than by Sirius and Harry returned on the first night of the one holiday where spending it together with family is almost a must is a form of symbolism that others might think would go over my head, yet I both notice it and find myself appreciating it.
What I, however, can't appreciate is mum's response to their return and I don't need to share a look with Sirius to know that she will soon try and force this place to have two more prisoners, regardless of what Dumbledore and her precious Order may call their so-called attempts to keep Sirius safe; as if they even get that word's definition.

Mum had been gushing over how happy she was that dad was healthy enough to be home for Christmas and over the fact that, as she called it, Harry and Hermione couldn't escape being around family for the holidays now when she had spotted that there were more people in the room with Harry than there should have been.
Yet to my shock had I instantly recognized quite a few of them and not just the two people mum, dad and Bill must be seeing and Harry had apparently trusted the silver-white haired dude to take care of the three and to my utter amazement had something as simple as a snowball been able to remove the veil of ignorance from the three.
I had of course noticed Harry's annoyance when mum accused Sirius of the snowball before she spotted the four mythical beings, yet instantly she had become her recently paranoid self and had started asking all kinds of questions, regardless of the fact that they had been here longer than we and looked harmless and cool.
The man that looks like Santa Clause had then shared a look with the Snowball thrower and he had me greatly worried when he said that someone named Pitch, which I can only assume is the Boogeyman, had a hold on my mum, which did partially explain why mum has been letting her fear get the better of her these last few months.

Then, to my shock, the actual Tooth Fairy had flown through the window and had a casket in her hand which, when she pressed on a button inside it, mum had actually recalled a happy memory from her childhood and had explained exactly why the Tooth Fairy exists as well express an incredible amount of passion for her profession.
I had then asked about the two people in the room who are much more important and Harry had overwhelmed me when he said: "Teenage forms of my parents brought back to life through the magic of wonder that is the specialty of North and that has been gathering at Godric's Hollow for all these years? Yes, yes they are, Ron."

And the twins had proved that they had been just as overwhelmed before Bill had done something Sirius and Harry had apparently expected, yet the response Harry had given to this, just calm acceptance and the order for us to leave the kitchen, had made me absolutely worried for my best friend, considering his current temper.
"He's been bad-tempered and easily triggered ever since summer. How is it he is so calm about this now? Is it because of dad?" And while I was starting to believe that that might be the case, had mum made me wonder if she even realized that Harry is a hormonal teen with a temper as she had actually turned to his parents.
She had then made the situation worse by telling them they should be in the Order, regardless of the fact that they are Harry's age and that she has been the most volatile believer that those underage shouldn't be joining Order meetings ever since the Order of the Phoenix has been reinstated, yet she had been rebutted quite harshly.
And the fact that two teens who should be adults are standing up for my best friend and vocally agreeing with his beliefs and statements is again a form of symbolism that doesn't escape me and while I know it's wrong, do I actually feel guilty pleasure over seeing my mum getting her own words thrown back at her.

Then, like the hypocrite I have noticed her being more and more these last few years, does she try to force Sirius into disagreeing with her just when she can't get her way and Sirius makes me feel warm inside over how protective the man is of Harry and for a minute I feel as if mum is finally getting over her irrational fear.
This because she compliments two people she only just met and has only heard tales of, yet when Sirius mentions that all of the compliments mum gave Lily and James count for Harry as well and why that should exempt them but not their son from the No-Underage rule the Order implies, does mum take my warm feeling away.
"BECAUSE HE HAS YOU FOR AN EXAMPLE, YOU FILTHY, NO-GOOD, MURDERING TRAITOR!" Mum shouts and my eyes widen as I can't believe she said that about the one man who has done more than anyone I know to protect Harry, who gets Harry's disposition and who is Harry's rightful guardian by parental choice.

I look at my mother as if seeing her for the first time in my young life, but then feel as if a Dementor just passed my grave when a deadly cold voice asks: "Do any of you agree with that?" And I turn from my mum to Harry's dad, suddenly remembering that the parent who chose Sirius as a guardian is actually in the room with us.
Then the twins deal exactly the right kind of punishment to mum by reminding her of dad being in the room with us before I decide to give my honest opinion as well as give Harry the chance to extract his own bit of revenge and I admit to doubt Sirius' choices, but also mention how Harry will always pick Sirius over mum any day, every day.
This, unfortunately, seems to make mum again forget that dad is still recovering as she starts to scream for a fourth time since we came back. Yet Harry seems to care more for dad's health than mum and seems to have caught onto the initiative that I gave him, even if the cold, heartless voice that he speaks with really scares me.

Harry then goes on and holds one of his usual speeches, telling mum that picking Sirius over her is something he will always do and complimenting everything that, I know, makes him care for Sirius as much as he has done since the man came back in his life and the reminder of him eating rats to be close makes me nod in empathy.
And just like how he turned on us over summer and like how mum turned on Sirius several times last summer, does Harry then turn on mum, proving her how wrong she is for how she thinks of and treats Sirius. And then he shocks me with his caring nature as he tells us that him losing respect for her won't affect how he treats us.
And while I can't believe that Harry doesn't think he should just ditch all of us over the horrid insult mum threw at his godfather, does mum prove how far her ego is pushing her as she tries to make Harry think he did something wrong, yet then the one thing happens that I know Harry should have deserved for years on end.
While mum demands Harry to apologize, his dad stands up for him and even threatens with a grounding if he does so before emphasizing on the fact that he is Harry's actual father and thus the one person who has most rights to decide if Harry did something wrong or not. And then mum makes the mistake of the century.
She turns on Sirius, more than obviously to unleash her anger out on him, yet Harry loses his temper and shouts back at her. Yet by the way that he shouts, do I share a shocked look with my brothers as they must have noticed that he changed the name he gave mum in his shout at the very end and I think: "But – but why?"

Yet before I can ponder this anymore, does the snowball thrower shock me as he shouts himself and slams his cane on the ground, causing for all of us – bar dad – to get covered in a layer of ice that freezes us on the spot and yet doesn't feel cold to the touch, astounding me on the power of the actual deity that did this.
The deity then tells Harry to leave and then explains the one thing I know the whole world wants to know; what it was that caused Harry to survive Halloween Night. And the notion that it was the Man in the Moon choosing Harry as a Guardian and that Harry actually became a Guardian of adults instead of kids really astounds me.
Harry however doesn't seem to take much heart in the fact that his powers apparently come from how much adults trust in him and after the last year or so, the way the Order keeps waving all he has done off and trying to treat him as a five year old and how the Prophet has been slandering him, can I not disagree with my best friend at all.

Only then I get to see something I never would have seen coming, especially because I had expected it last year at the end of the Third Task and it not happening had made me wonder if Harry even knew how to do this as, to everyone's shock, Harry sighs in defeat and then tells the thrower not to waste his time on achieving the impossible.
And whether through his own Guardian power or the strength I know he hides in his weak-looking form, does he then break the ice covering him and walk out of the room, turning his head at the doorway and telling us all exactly how the Order's negligence in action for his sake has affected him over the past 6 months.
And when he leaves and the Easter Bunny asks: "What did he mean with that?" Do I share a look with my brothers and Ginny, all of us knowing that it's now or never. "He meant that the Order as well as others have been treating Harry very two-sided for as long as he has been back in the Magical World and he's just done with it."

I tell the Bunny, only for mum to snap: "Ronald, you know better than to lie about things like that." Yet at this I glare at her, done with her fear and her pride getting the better of her and thinking everything she says is right and every comment we make on them not doing as great as they think is a lie as I snarl back:
"I am not lying, mum, I even have evidence, going all the way back to our first year, to prove it." At which the woman looks shocked and I say: "Our very first Halloween. I had insulted Hermione to the point of tears and Harry wanted me to apologize, but when the Troll was reported we felt we had to go and warn her about it.
Instead we encountered and had to take it down, yet when we had done this, the only sign that the teachers were against us risking our necks like that was one single reprimanding. No points taken, no detention, nothing. Heck, Harry and I even got awarded points for – and I quote – sheer dumb luck. By none other than McGonagall!"

Mum looks absolutely flabbergasted at hearing this and then dad asks: "Wait, why is this the first time we hear of this? I don't think I ever even knew of a Troll having been sighted inside Hogwarts. How did it get in?" And while I would love to come clean about all of what happened in first year, do I know I need to focus and I say:
"Why is this the first time? The same reason mum just called me a liar. Reputation has come to mean so much to the adults of this world that they would keep news of dangerous events happening near their kids even from parents. So trust me when I say, Hogwarts lost its safest place in the world reputation ages ago."
"How so?" The Tooth Fairy asks and Hermione answers: "Because in the last four and a half year that we've been there we've faced a Troll, a Cerberus, Devil's Snare, an Enchanted Chess Set the size of Hagrid, an enchanted mirror, the Whomping Willow, Accromantulas, a Basilisk –.""Okay, okay, okay, we get it."
Sirius says, white with feared shock and I share a look with Hermione before I say: "She just finished our Second, Sirius." Making the man sack down in his chair in utter fright and dad asks: "Why were we never told any of this?" And Fred says: "Ron just told you." And George goes on: "Dumbledore loves his reputation."

I then go on and say: "And the biggest problem in all this? When we went to warn McGonagall about the first year problem, which is up to the Enchanted mirror, she wouldn't believe us because she believed these protections to be impenetrable, regardless of the fact that three First years passed them with minor to no injuries."
"And the Chamber? It had a monster in it that Petrified multiple students, but instead of putting the students' safety first and sending them home so the teachers could search the entire castle for things not found before, they were more interested in keeping the school year going and only did patrols and nothing else.
Why? The school had been searched before, so why bother? Even though they got evidence after evidence after evidence that students were in danger, they thought classes, homework and exams more important. McGonagall even admitted to this after Dumbledore had been taken away when she told us of upcoming exams.
Which she did two weeks before the actual exams happened and then thought she could expect from us to have been focusing on preparing for the exams when all we could think of was Dumbledore being gone, the mystery still being unsolved and our friends lying in the Hospital Wing. I mean, honestly." I end in exasperation.

"Ronald, they –." But then Ginny snarls: "They DID NOTHING! It was Ron and Harry who saved me! Ron and Harry who risked their necks when they should have been seeing proof that they could leave it to the teachers! Ron and Harry who risked getting killed by a bleeding BASILISK when the teachers did NOTHING!
Mum, the teachers were going to close the school! Harry and Ron were there when McGonagall told the teachers of my death note and they told me that the teachers didn't even make a single comment or showed a single sign of willingness to go look for me. They gave up on me, mum, and that is the people you are now defending."
"And the funny thing is that, after we did what the teachers could have easily done had they just paid attention to the events taking place that year, cause that is how Harry and I did it, we get awarded for risking our necks and don't get a single mention – other than your hug – that anyone was worried or scared for our lives.
But the next time something dangerous happens, everything we did that year gets ignored and we get treated like five year old kids. Again and again and again and again. Year after year after year after year after year. And you wonder why Harry never tells any of you whether or not something is bothering him."

Here I roll my eyes and the snowball thrower says: "So Harry gets a very two-faced, double-sided treatment from those who are his center. That's just not good. Why can't you just acknowledge that he has skill and then train that skill?""Absolutely not! He is way too young! He's just a child! There is no way we will risk his innocence."
"That innocence has already been risked, attacked and killed, you know." The Easter Bunny then says and Mum asks: "What do you know? You don't even –.""Don't go there." Bunny growls, causing mum to squeak in fear and the thrower says: "We were there when Harry needed; when he was growing up with abusive bastards."
"And that's another thing!" I then shout and everyone looks at me and I say: "None of you like the Dursleys. You all want Harry away from them. You all hate that Harry gets send back there year after year after year. And why? Because Dumbledore says it's safe. Bleeding Merlin, how can you call people you hate yourselves safe?"
"Wait, that kid is going back there? Seriously?" Bunny asks shocked and I sigh as I say: "Yes, seriously. Regardless of how obviously Harry turns depressed as summer approaches, regardless of the fact that everyone here complains about them, regardless of the fact that Harry looks weaker than weak whenever he leaves them."

"Ronald, enough. Dumbledore knows –." Mum tries to admonish me, but I shout: "DUMBLEDORE IS HUMAN AND CAN MAKE MISTAKES! STOP DEFENDING HIM WHEN YOU SHOULD BE SUPPORTING THE HEALTH OF THOSE YOU LOVE! START REALIZING THE TRUTH AND STOP BEING SUCH A HYPOCRITE!"
The woman looks at me shocked, but I am just so done with being considered the blind, dumb youngest of the bunch and when mum asks: "Why? Why are you taking Percy's approach?" Do I hear the rest of my siblings groan as I slap myself on the head and let my hand slide down my face to show my annoyance at her.
"Mum, I don't need to be on Percy or Fudge's side to realize that Dumbledore isn't someone for who the sun sets when he sits down or who is wearing Ravenclaw's legendary Diadem and knows everything. He DOESN'T. He's human, he can miss things and he can – make – mistakes. There is just one major problem here."
"What is that, Ron?" Dad asks and I look at him worriedly for a second, but the man and Bill, who stands behind him, nod and I say: "The problem is Dumbledore's reputation. It gives him the chance to make decisions, not just for himself but for others too. And when those decisions go wrong – well, the result just walked away."

This makes dad grimace and Hermione says: "Over the past four and a half years Dumbledore has been making one decision after another regarding Harry and most of them are regardless of what Harry wants, regardless of how most of us think and regardless of whether or not most of us agree with it or not.
But the worst of it all, when people like Ron, myself or the twins disagree, we're called kids, too young, inexperienced and other things, regardless of the fact that we spent more time with Harry than anyone else here, Dumbledore included. And when people like Mr. or Mrs. Weasley complain, they don't get heard, they get told excuses.
And I'm willing to bet I know at least two of those excuses. An old man's mistakes or this is for the best, if only for now. And the fact that you just keep accepting the former, regardless of how often he says it and accept the latter, regardless of you knowing that's not true – that's what made Harry give up on his role as a Guardian.
Because when it comes down to it, you all just heel at Dumbledore's word, instead of fighting for Harry to prove that he can count on you. And I'm not saying Dumbledore's evil, a Dark Lord or anything like that; I'm just saying he's a man who has been allowed to make too many mistakes regarding one single person.

And if that doesn't stop, we will lose Harry. Not to death or anything, but to loss of character. And I'm not about to let that happen. After all, Mrs. Weasley, can you look me in the eye and tell me that you are 100% sure that the Dursleys gave Harry proper medical treatment for the horrors he had to witness last June – and not lie to my face?"
At this mum falters and Hermione says: "My point exactly. But when Dumbledore says I'm sure the Dursleys will do what's best you believe it as if he said it while under Truth Oath or something and completely ignore all the signs, all of us disagreeing with him and your own opinion on those despicable Muggles.
And that's coming from a Muggleborn." She ends with strength resonating through her voice before she says: "I'm Muggleborn and even I can admit that those three are the worst Muggles to have ever been born. So if I can admit that three people from the world I was born into are bad, why can't any of you do that to Dumbledore's face?"
At this Bill, mum and dad all grimace in guilt and then James Potter speaks up and says: "Harry needs you lot. Why aren't any of you seeing that? Have you been ignoring him this entire schoolyear?" And I snort as I say: "I can give you one better. They've been putting Order members on guard duty of him since summer started."
"And none of you noticed any of this?" Lily Potter asks shocked and mum snarls: "Harry's a very reserved person!" To which Lily Potter shouts back: "AND WHO'S FAULT IS THAT OTHER THAN THE ADULTS WHO CONSTANTLY PROVE HE IS BETTER OF NOT TRUSTING THEM AND STAYING RESERVED!"

Then James Potter turns to Sirius and asks: "Sirius?" And the man answers the unspoken question as he says: "James, I would swear on the bond you and I forged when I ran away during Christmas in '76 that I have been saying exactly this the entire time and that nobody's listened. Why? I'm a wanted criminal, what do I know?"
"But, what about what Harry said? Of how much he trusts you and how much you have been risking just to be close to him?" Lily Potter asks and I share a glance with the twins and Ginny as we chorus alongside Sirius: "Ignored." And the fact that we also say this shocks mum, who looked ready to start reprimanding Sirius once again.
At this I see Lily and James Potter share another look before they turn to the Guardians, who have been keeping to the background this entire time and then the five deities and two teenaged adults all ask the escaped convict the one question which I know can turn this entire thing around: "So, what would you do, Sirius?"


Wow, just wow.
I knew this chapter could be lengthy, that a lot of things I have always felt wrong with the series would be mentioned yet again and that Mrs. Weasley was going to be the one person who would try and down-talk everything and would be the temporary antagonist this chapter, but I didn't exactly plan on that ending.
Still, next chapter Sirius is going to prove what a brilliant character he actually is and why he is my #1 character of the entire franchise, but he won't be the only character that will shine as I plan to implement the Adoption rule either next chapter or the chapter after that and then start on helping Harry regain his trust in adults.
Hope you enjoy,

Venquine1990