Chapter 2

Childhood nightmare

"Wake up, Ron. We have a surprise for you!" Five-year-old Ron peeked from his blanket. His brothers Fred and George were peering at him excitedly.

"Really?" Ron rubbed his eyes and sat up eagerly.

"Of course, it's downstairs. Let's go!" Ron followed the twins as they clambered down the stairs.

"You sit here, and we're going to stand behind this red curtain." George instructed him, and Ron sat excitedly on the stool.

"What are you boys doing?" Molly's voice came floating from the kitchen.

"Nothing, just giving him a surprise!" Fred called back.

That should have been the first hint that something was amiss.

The curtains unfolded, and Ron clapped as Fred and George emerged, wearing a magician's hat and coat.

"I'm Fred, I'm George, and together, we're the Weasley's Wheezes!" They chorused together.

"Now we're going to start our first magic trick. Can we have a volunteer?"

Ron's hands flies up immediately. He's the sole audience of the show. Fred graciously chose Ron and he ran up the 'stage'.

"Now, we need a special token from our special guest."

"My teddwie beh!" Ron excitedly took his tiny, worn down teddy bear from his pocket and presented it to George.

George's eyes flashed, and he mumbled, "Well, this should be fun."

Second hint.

"Now, we're going to turn this into something interesting. Something very interesting." Fred emphasized the last three words.

"My teddwie beh no longer teddwie?" Ron's eyes widened and his chin quivered.

"Relax, it's just a short time." George assured him.

Still, Ron was not reassured. "I want teddwie back!" He howled, reaching for it, but Fred stood on tiptoes, raising it higher.

"No, bad boy. Let us do this first." He brought out a magician's wand, and he and George grinned a feral grin at each other before counting, "Three!"

"Give it back!"

"Two!"

"Teddwie!"

"One!"

"NOOOOOOOOO!"

There was a poof! sound, and the teddy bear transformed into a large, black spider.

"Mummy!" Ron screamed, as he etched away from the spider. This isn't my teddwie. How did teddwie turn so awful and ugly and scary?

"Go away, don't touch me, DON'T TOUCH ME!" He burst into loud baby sobs as the spider advanced towards him, causing the twins to laugh.

"Relax, it's only a spider!" George called.

"Such a crybaby, Icky Ron." Fred teased.

Help me, help me.

"What in Merlin's name are you two doing?" Molly demanded, marching out of the kitchen. She froze when she saw the spider. "Oh sweet Dumbledore" she mumbled.

"Mummy...spider...help..." Ron could only stammer. He had crawled under the couch.

"Fred and George Weasley! What did you do?" She screeched.

"Nothing mum!" Fred protested.

"We were entertaining Ronnikins." George claimed innocence.

"He's enjoying it, aren't you Ronnie?" They laughed.

"Both of you go to your room! No super for you, you're grounded for a week!" The twins grumbled about lack of food but climbed up the stairs anyway.

"Murchamedusa," Molly mumbled, pointing her wand at the spider. Instantly, the spider transformed back into Ron's dear teddy bear.

"Oh dear," Molly shock her head both in sympathy for Ron and anger towards the terror twins, realising what exactly had happened at that moment

"It's okay, dear. Your teddy is back to normal. Everything's okay now, alright my little hero?" Molly coaxed, trying to get Ron out from the coach.

Ron stared at his dear teddy. It's not the same. Teddwie beh isn't teddwie beh anymore. It's a gigantic scary spiders.

Spiders...Ron shivered. How he hated them!

Due to a 'harmless' prank by the twins, a fear of spiders was instilled in him.

Even years later, he would be traumatised forever.