A/n: Sorry it's been a while since my last update. If it makes you feel any better, this is my longest chapter to date. I figured I needed a bit of a lighthearted chapter after the seriousness of last chapter's flashback. And what did I decide to do about that? VIOLENCE! VIOLENCE! XD
Please enjoy.
The Tales of Weasley the Father
By dieselwriter
Chapter 8: The Tale of Fights
Ron frowned as the doorbell sounded throughout the house. It was a surprisingly cool late summer day, and the clouds were plenty but not threatening of a thunderstorm. As such, Rosie, Hugo, and some of the neighborhood kids took full advantage of the weather by playing football in the meadow behind their house. Living in a mostly Muggle neighborhood, Quidditch was out of the question.
He was therefore surprised to hear the doorbell ring; the kids in the neighborhood might enjoy their company, but their adult Muggle neighbors tended to ignore them, thinking them 'rather odd', as some of the politer rumors said. As for their few magical neighbors, well, they tended to use the Floo.
Upon opening the door, however, his curiosity was replaced with anger.
Mrs. Puckle was fuming in the doorway, each of her wizened old hands pinching an ear of both his children. They were wincing painfully, although Hugo's discomfort could've been a result of the bloody nose he was sporting.
"What happened?" he asked in his no nonsense tone.
Mrs. Puckle must have pinched harder, for both of his children flinched.
"I caught these two brawling with Bobby Benson and his little group," she said in a stony tone, one she had to use often when babysitting them. "I was walking with Rhonda Caldwell on the walking trail and ran into their tussle. I sent Bobby and his friends with Rhonda, and I ended up—"
"With mine," Ron said, and his children looked fearfully at each other at hearing the edge in his voice. "I'm sorry they caused you trouble, Mrs. Puckle."
"It was on my way home," she replied with a small smile as she released the children to their father. "No trouble at all, Mr. Weasley."
"Just Ron, Mrs. Puckle," Ron said kindly, but the vice-like grip he placed on his children's shoulders told them he was only putting up a polite exterior for their neighbor's sake; he was still quite angry with them.
"After you call me Agatha, Mr. Weasley," the old witch smiled; they had reached their old stalemate once again.
"Well, say goodbye to my children, Mrs. Puckle," he said as he steered his kids inside the house. "You won't be seeing them outside for quite some time."
"Have a good night, then. Rose, Hugo," she called, waving sympathetically at them as Ron closed the door, allowing her a small smile in return before letting his anger rise to the surface.
The children cowered under his gaze.
"So? What happened?"
Hugo swiped at the blood that had long since dried. Rosie played with the fabric of her jersey between her fingers and looked at anything but her father.
"Come on, out with it," he stepped forward, arms crossed.
"Bobby beat me up," Hugo said, but for some reason turned angry eyes at his sister.
"I got that," Ron said. He turned to his daughter. "Rose?"
"Hugo was playing forward and Bobby was goalkeeper..." seeing her father's confused look, not knowing the positions in football, she started again. "Well, Hugo hit Bobby in the nose with the ball and he got mad and hit him back."
"And how were you involved in this?" he asked her.
"I wasn't," she said, and at that remark Hugo looked incensed.
"He started wailing on me and she watched!" he shouted furiously.
"You just sat and watched that older kid beat on your younger brother?" Ron asked, offended at the idea.
"It wasn't my fight!" she retorted, clearly insulted. "And Hugo hit him in the face on purpose."
"No I didn't!" Hugo replied hotly. "It was an accident!"
"No it wasn't! You were mad because he was blocking your shots all game! Just because you can't shoot doesn't mean you should hit Bobby—"
"I didn't hit him—"
"Excuse me!" Ron interrupted, causing both his children to cast their eyes to the floor in shame. "I don't care what happened! Hugo, you know better than to resolve your conflicts with fighting. And Rose-- I can't believe I have to say this to you-- but you're supposed to stand up for your brother!"
The silence was deafening, and Ron had a sudden flash to another place and time.
"This reminds me of a time I had a fight over your mother."
It was a sign of how remorseful his children were that they did not complain when their father started his story.
Ron grumbled as he walked down the stairs, having just left Professor McGonagall's office. Despite the O.W.L.s impending arrival, she was still forcing him to go on Prefect rounds with Hermione the following evening. It would be an entire Friday night wasted as he patrolled the corridors, and Hermione would no doubt be nagging him right by his side, asking him to quiz her or else making sure he himself had a strict enough study schedule.
It was as he neared the end of the staircase that he noticed another student ascending the stairs. Said student didn't bother moving to the side of the staircase and Ron couldn't help but bump shoulders with him.
"Watch where you're walking," the student muttered darkly as he continued on up.
"Where's the fire?" Ron returned angrily, turning to face the student.
He stopped on the staircase and turned to face Ron, and it was only then Ron was able to identify him.
"Carmichael?" Ron asked in surprise.
"What's it to you, Weasley?"
Ron stared at the sixth year Ravenclaw, not understanding how Eddie Carmichael could have had such a change in attitude since he had seen him earlier that day.
"Is there a problem?" He couldn't understand why the Ravenclaw was on his way to see the Gryffindor Head of House.
"Yeah, there's a problem," he said, barely hiding his anger. "I have a problem with the Gryffindor Prefects abusing their power."
"What, are you referring to me?"
Carmichael laughed harshly.
"No, you great prat, I'm referring to your girlfriend."
It was Ron's turn to laugh.
"Girlfriend? Listen, I think you've got the wrong Prefect—"
"That Granger girl!" he shouted, spitting out her name like it was a foul word. "Do you have any idea how much that Brain Elixir would've gone for? And she flushed it down the loo!"
Ron couldn't stifle a snort.
"What's so funny?" he asked defensively. "Is my losing money funny to you, Weasley?"
"A little, actually. But what really makes me laugh is the fact that you expect to get Hermione in trouble with McGonagall."
"As far as I see it, she broke the rules. Prefects can confiscate items from students, but they aren't allowed to destroy them- they have to turn them into Filch."
Ron's insides squirmed unpleasantly at having the rules he abided by be thrown in his face.
"And it's not just me- loads of other students have been complaining too. Who gave that Mudblood the right to strut around the castle like she owns it?"
Ron, whose nerves were already quite on edge given the exams in a few weeks, dropped his smug smile at hearing the insult.
"Dumbledore gave her the power and you best remember your own place around here," he muttered, jabbing his finger at the Prefect Badge pinned to his chest.
"Like I said; the Gryffindor Prefects abuse their power," he muttered, turning back around to head up the stairs. "I'm going to make her pay for it."
"Maybe I do abuse my power," Ron shouted after him, still steaming. "But Hermione's the best Prefect at this school, and McGonagall'll agree."
But Ron couldn't help but feel slight doubt when the Ravenclaw turned to glare at him. It was a look he had seen on many students that Hermione dealt with, and although Hermione was in the right most of the time, he still felt nervous in this case. She wasn't allowed to destroy another student's property, and he can't believe she'd forgotten.
"Unless I get reimbursed for my destroyed property, I'm going to McGonagall to take her and you down. I don't give a damn if she's the best."
Ron was no stranger to blackmail and neither, apparently, was Eddie. It was a moral dilemma, and Hermione would have been appalled as Ron decided that, for this one time, he'd have to choose the easy way to shut him up.
"Fine, all right, how much was the bottle?" he asked as a smug grin spread across Eddie's face.
"Fifteen Galleons."
"Fifteen? I thought it was—"
"Twelve? That was the asking price before you became desperate. You can pay me tomorrow," he said as he strode back down the stairs.
Ron did not look forward to the inevitable conversation he'd have to have with his twin brothers, but there was no other way he'd be able to come up with the money tomorrow, and with any luck Fred and George would understand.
"I'd better not catch you pulling something like this again," Ron muttered darkly as Carmichael walked past him and down the hallway.
"Keep your bitch on a tighter leash, then."
Ron snapped; he couldn't see anything but red as he charged forward. He was quite sure Eddie had meant the comment to be said under his breath, but he had heard every word and he was going to make sure he regretted each of them.
"What the—" Eddie didn't get the chance to finish as Ron punched him straight in the jaw.
Ron was satisfied when his hand came back bloodied. He wasn't smiling for long though as the Ravenclaw's fist came out of nowhere to land at his stomach.
Ron doubled over, all the air leaving his lungs. He gasped for a breath as the fist returned, but this time it connected soundly with his nose.
"What the hell is your problem?" Eddie shouted, but he didn't seem to wait for an answer as he rushed forward for a new attack.
The only benefit to the pain now radiating from Ron's nose was that it took away the pain from the first blow. He dodged Eddie's incoming fist and ran forward, rugby tackling him to the ground.
Ron could hear alarmed shouting from the staircase behind him, but ignored it completely. He instead grinned evilly as he slammed the boy to the ground, taking solace when he heard Eddie's head smack on the ground.
Ron aimed another solid punch at his head before Carmichael's palm flew up to slam into his nose once again. Ron felt it break this time and the renewed pain blinded him enough that, when Carmichael's other hand balled into a fist, he couldn't move in time to dodge as he was hit in the side of the face.
He fell off the Ravenclaw and to the right, but caught himself with his arm and as his assailant tried a new attack, Ron kicked out and earned a solid kick to the face. He grimaced as he heard the boy's jawbone break.
"Expelliarmus!"
Before Ron could continue with a new assault he felt an odd sensation at his wand hand. Finding nothing wrong with it, however, he jumped up and drew back his hand, ready to put the Ravenclaw in his place.
"Protego!"
Ron was forced backward as an invisible shield rose between him and Carmichael.
"Mr. Weasley!" Professor McGonagall ran up beside him, looking down as he did at the prone figure of Eddie Carmichael. "What in Merlin's name is going on here?"
"He—he—" Ron couldn't get the words out for the foul thing Carmichael had done. It wasn't easy to speak anyway, given that his nose was still spouting blood.
"He attacked you?" McGonagall guessed, her eyes wide and fearful.
"No!" Eddie shouted furiously from the floor. He seemed to be in a partial daze from his broken jaw, but not so much that he couldn't defend himself. "He came after me! For no reason!"
"Bullshit!" Ron found his own voice now, causing McGonagall to frown reproachfully. "He was insulting the honor of a Gryffindor Prefect, and he was attempting to blackmail me."
"Language, Weasley," she barked, but it only seemed half-hearted as she absorbed his words. "And as noble as your intentions undoubtedly were, Mr. Weasley, I'm afraid I cannot tolerate such violent behavior. Both of you will be receiving a week's worth of detention and fifty points each from Gryffindor and Ravenclaw."
"What?" Carmichael roared in indignation, finding the strength to finally rise to his feet. "HE attacked ME! Why am I being punished?"
"Violence is not tolerated at Hogwarts, Mr. Carmichael," she said in a voice so cold Ron was sure the temperature in the hallway had decreased. "And I believe our other fifth year Gryffindor Prefect mentioned something about confiscating illegal goods from you earlier today?"
The Ravenclaw's face turned bright red.
"Illegal?"
"Baruffio's Brain Elixir has been outlawed from the country for 20 years, since it was discovered to have hallucinogenic properties. It's a shame the contraband escaped Miss Granger's grasp; any student found in possession of it would have been expelled immediately."
Ron couldn't contain his smile as Eddie Carmichael floundered for words.
"I would not be smiling for long, Mr. Weasley; I might have to take away your badge for this."
Ron's smile vanished in an instance, but knew that when it came down to it he would do it all over again.
"You attacked another student?" Rosie asked incredulously.
"You broke the guy's jaw?" Hugo wondered in awe.
Their father's stern gaze silenced them immediately.
"Hugo, you need to learn how to pick your fights. Bobby Benson's nearly twice your size," Ron said, and his son nodded in understanding. "Rose, your brother's probably going to get into a lot of dumb fights in his life," Hugo looked exceedingly annoyed by this comment but didn't say anything. "But that doesn't mean you shouldn't support him."
"Sorry, Dad," they said together, habitually.
"Now go up to your rooms; I'll dole out punishment after your mother gets home."
Both of his children slumped up the stairs.
"This is all your fault," he heard Hugo mutter under his breath.
"You're just mad 'cause Bobby beat you up," Rosie whispered angrily.
"And you're just mad 'cause you like Bobby and he hates you."
"UP!" Ron barked, and his children scrambled up the rest of the stairs silently.
The doorbell rang again. If one ring was uncommon in the house, two in one day was quite a rarity. His children remained on the landing, intrigued, but Ron said nothing to them as he opened the door.
A tall, tanned boy with shaggy dark brown hair and hazel eyes was standing in the doorway, sporting a swollen lip and a football in his hands.
"Mr. Weasley—" he started, and Ron knew immediately who the boy was.
"Auror Weasley," Ron corrected. The boy's father worked in his department at the Ministry.
"Er—" the boy hesitated. He couldn't have been older than 10. "Right, sir; sorry. I just…wanted to apologize, sir."
"Hugo!" Ron shouted, making the boy on the doorstep jump about a foot in the air.
"Yes, Dad?" Hugo replied from the top of the staircase meekly.
"Come down here."
Hugo must have learned to Apparate, for he seemed to have appeared at his side instantly. Both boys averted their eyes from one another.
"Don't you have something to say to Bobby, Hugo?"
Hugo looked up fearfully at his father before glancing at Bobby timidly.
"Sorry, Hugo," Bobby spoke first, despite Ron's prompt to his son.
"Me too," Hugo replied uncomfortably.
"Can I talk to Rosie?" Bobby's question must have been an embarrassing one for him, for he blushed and stared at the ground again.
Ron's brow furrowed suspiciously, but before he could reply, Rosie had joined him at his other side in the doorway.
"Yes?" she asked, and Ron did not like the hope she held in her eyes at all.
"Umm…" Bobby seemed flabbergasted now, staring nervously between daughter and father. "You left this…at the field," he said as he handed over the football.
"Oh…thanks."
The three children stood around, seemingly unsure of what to say. After that last exchange between the boy and his daughter, though, Ron knew exactly what he wanted to say.
"Thanks for stopping by, then, Bobby," Ron said as he ushered his children away from the doorway. "Send your father my regards, please."
Bobby didn't get a chance to respond as the door closed on him.
"Dad," Rosie whined, holding the ball tightly in her hands. "You just slammed the door on his face!"
"He needs a haircut," he replied, as if that was a proper excuse for his rude behavior.
"You're so embarrassing."
Ron sighed, wondering how on earth the child that had mocked her for her hair only a few weeks ago had suddenly become her current flame.
"Up to your rooms, then," he said, the conviction in his voice lost.
But his children didn't seem to notice as they trudged back up the stairs and into their bedrooms.
It was with a blind horror that Ron suddenly remembered how he had initially treated Hermione, how he had mocked her affinity to know all the answers and her inability to make friends.
It was official, then: Rosie was never allowed to be near that Bobby Benson ever again.
A/n: Sorry, this chapter's looooooooooooong. Couldn't be helped; intro of a new character and all that.
Things I want to bitch about but won't go into detail for space constraint:
1. HBP movie release delayed for money. MONEY! WHAT THE-
2. School starts a week from Tuesday. Boo.
3. The commercial I'm watching right now. Yawn.
Things I am happy about with my life, but won't go into detail for space constraint:
1. Boston was effing sweet.
2. I gotsa haircut. Yay!
3. Release of screencap of Ron and Lavender in HBP. HELL YAY!
Wanna add to the second list? Review please!
Loves to all my reviewers!
-dieselwriter