Chapter Two: At Gringotts:
A month had passed and Ron knew he had to act, a letter from Arthur told him that aunt Muriel was not pleased with Ginny's progress and was pushing for potions to be used on the girl. That and Harry needed protection, the kind a retainer could give him. A retainer in the magical world could be either male or female, a male was a retainer to a lord, a female to a lady. They were more than hired soldiers, they were protectors of the lord and were sworn to duty to the lord, accept if it went in conflict with the charter and the king or queen. This was what Ron wanted to do and he had to act.
There was another development too, and he was not sure what was going on fully. Neville was a good friend, but private and mostly quiet, accept where heir Malfoy was concerned. Ron was with Harry and several muggleborn that included Hermione going over traditions of, to them the new world they had entered. Ron had heard that Neville had beat up Malfoy, after Malfoy taunted him about his parents. The beauty of that was that not only was Snape there but Flitwick and about an hundred other students. Wither he was really shocked at what Malfoy had said or that there were witnesses, Snape had docked Slytherin fifty points then and there and hauled both boys up to the infirmary, Malfoy for a broken nose and jaw, Neville for a shattered hand.
"So what is a blood feud mean in the magical world?" Hermione had asked that evening, "everyone is talking about it."
"It is very hard to declare a blood feud, you can't do it unless there was physical harm done to you or your family, unwanted marriage contracts, murder of family, torture, other things." Ron said, "the fact the feud took proves that magic accepted the feud, and that means with the Lestrange family in Azkaban that Neville just got all their lands, properties and yes, if he wanted their very lives."
"So this is justice?" Hermione said.
"Yes, very much so." Ron replied, "but very hard like I said to declare one, you can't declare one if you disagree with someone, it will not work, Harry here could declare a blood feud against the dark dork and get it."
"So could everyone else then." Harry replied.
"No, because you survived, you could declare one on the unjust deaths of your parents." Ron said, "and you need a retainer." That had come out bad Ron knew as he looked at Harry, "no you need one, someone who has your back, to protect you."
"Isn't that slavery?" Hermione asked.
"No, this kind of bond is not, it is willingly given." Ron said, "we would need a professor to take us."
"Then if you are to do this, you better have professor Flitwick, as I am too busy to take any of you dunderheads."
The first years looked behind them and up to see the dark presence of the potions master over them. He had not been too bad to Harry, when he answered the questions correctly he took to having as little to do with him as possible. Accept for now, why was he over at the Gryffindor table? Harry dared not ask, he still did not trust adults and was not about to see what happened when he asked this man a question.
"I came to let you know that Mr. Longbottom is going to be fine, his hand will be mended fully by the end of the weekend." Snape said, "and you call all be united happily and continue to be up to no good."
"I do my best not to be up to no good sir." Ron said, "Now Fred and George, you have to watch out for them."
"I watch all of you closely." Snape said black eyes boring into them from his sallow face, "all of you."
With that he glided away in a billow of black robes leaving three scared first years in his wake. Most students thought him mean and cruel, but he was a drama queen (and he would hex you if you dared say that to his face) and loved to scare children. That and find any reason that would hold up to take points from Gryffindor.
A week after Neville had broken Malfoy's jaw, Ron was able to take Harry to Gringotts for the bond. Gringotts was neutral, and as such the place to go for bonds like this to be done. They also carried wills, all you had to do was ask if there were any wills for your family and they would give them to you. But you had to ask, they were not going to give them to you just because you showed up. Harry and Ron went through the floo Diagon Alley, both boys were wearing cloaks with hoods up so as not to draw attention to themselves. Flitwick lead them quickly through the alley to the large bank.
Harry nodded to the goblins at the doors who did not move one inch as he passed. Flitwick spoke to a goblin in their native tongue and after a moment or two they were ushered to an office. The oath was simple, and witnessed Flitwick on one side and two goblins on the other. At the end, just as they were leaving Flitwick spoke to Ron who walked back to Sliptooth, the head of this goblin office.
"Sir, could you see if there are any outstanding wills for house Weasley?" Ron asked.
"Yes, I will send you the results in a week." Sliptooth replied.
"Thank you master goblin." Ron said bowing.
"Go forth and break the necks of your enemies." Sliptooth replied.
"May your vaults be filled with the treasure of your enemies." Ron replied.
Ron and Harry left the bank, it was not the full retainer that Ron would have liked with his whole family under protection house Potter, but it was better than it had been. He wondered why Flitwick would have him ask for any wills on house Weasley, there were none! House Weasley was poor and no one would leave them money or anything, they were not a well liked house after all.
Two weeks later Ron was hiding from one irate brother. Charlie Weasley was normally a very even tempered man, but right now he was after the blood of his youngest brother and why? It seemed there had been a will or two left for house Weasley and one was interesting. It seemed that Arturus was the head of the most noble and ancient house of Black and that he had reinstated Ron's grandmother into the family and this action made the Weasley's the direct heirs to house Black. They were part of the main line and not wanting his house name to die out, Arturus had named Charlie Weasley as his heir, which made him Charlie Black now.
"Where is he?!" Charlie roared wand out looking for his younger bother, "I am going to kill him!"
"If you wish to kill anyone, not that you could, you should blame me." Flitwick said looking up at the very angry young man, "I told him to ask the goblins about any wills."
"YOU DARE….I HAD MY LIFE PLANNED OUT, I AM A DRAGON WRANGLER AND YOU, YOU!"
"You will be the kind of lord house Black needs." Flitwick said, "do you want that line to die out? It is a powerful one."
"There is one son left." Charlie countered.
"He is a death eater and disowned, what was done was right, and if you had not accepted this now, the Black line dies out." Flitwick said.
"I am going to kill Ron when I find him!"
Ron gulped from where he was hiding, now he was going to get it. He was sure of it and he was not going to survive this!
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So there is that, yes Ron is retainer for house Potter and I did a twist on the heirs line thing. It may seem that Arturus would not allow blood traitors back in the family, but I have him doing just that or the Black name dies out. As Charlie is a second son, he gets the Black title and no he is not happy. He wants to be with his dragons, not the head of a dangerous and powerful family. Hence his anger at Ron, his life has now been changed and to him not for the better.
Anyway, do review please!
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Omake:
Ron sat in the kitchen of number four Privet drive looking relaxed and calm. As Harry still needed the protections his blood family offered in this house, he came home for summers. Ron came right along with him and there was nothing the Dursleys could do about it as witches and wizards made sure that Harry was fine. They annoyed his relations in how "normal" they looked and how they were oh so proper and polite. However at this time Harry was cooking, he was making mac and cheese from scratch, not the boxes that Dudley liked to survive on. This was with milk, real cheddar cheese and elbow noodles.
"So how is the story going along so far?" Ron asked Harry.
"Well the writer seems to have it down now, I mean you have been such a good friend. Charlie did not stay mad at you."
"What was in the bag you sent to mum?" Ron asked.
"A new bowling ball, she wanted to take up bowling, so I gave her a new ball." Harry said.
Ron just looked at his friend with a worried look on his face. But forgot about what that bowling ball was as Harry finished the mac and cheese, put it in bowls shoving one to his cousin who had come down just as the food was done (the only art he had ever perfected) and took a seat to eat next to Ron.