First Ron chapter. Quite short, but it was pleasant to write, if only to show how holidays are going.

RON I

The Hogwarts Express produced a shrill whistle as its brakes were activated, accompanied by vapor blows that testified, along with the pressure that sunk Ron within his seat, of their arrival at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. The trip from Hogwarts was awkward, with the atmosphere in their compartment being tense, especially during the first half of the journey. Ron was stuck with Harry in the same compartment as Hermione and Neville. He would gladly have replaced both of them with Dean and Seamus, but both guys were in another compartment with Parvati and Lavender.

Things had become more bearable as the day progressed. Hermione was less of her usual self, not as bossy and trying to show she knew everything all the time. Ron began to understand why Harry could get along with her. Still, if he didn't know his friend better, he would probably believe the rumors that they were dating, with all the time they spent alone together in the library researching Nicholas Flamel. Luckily enough, this wasn't the case.

They all left the train. It was barely less filled than at the beginning of the term. In Gryffindor, only his brothers Fred, George and Percy remained at Hogwarts for Christmas. All the rest went back home for the holidays. Harry and Ron spent a part of the trip imagining what kind of tricks Fred and George would try on Percy while everyone else was gone. Hermione didn't seem to find that so funny, although Ron thought he saw her contain a hypocrite laugh once or twice. Neville spent a part of the trip looking for Trevor, who managed to disappear again, only to be found under one of the benches in their very compartment.

Outside on the platform, snow and cold air welcomed them. All students were wrapped into heavy cloaks, scarfs and tuques, although most of them had changed into casual clothing now that they were outside the school. Ron, Harry and Hermione had to since they would have to go through King's Cross.

"Hey, look, my mother is there," Harry indicated her to both Ron and Hermione. Ron recognized Lily Evans Potter from when he saw her the first time on the platform on September 1. He didn't know who Harry was back then. He also saw her from afar when she came to the Quidditch game between Gryffindor and Slytherin. She was heavily dressed for winter like a Muggle, and she was speaking with an old woman.

"Hey, Grandmother!" Neville walked past them towards an old woman, who was waiting for him with a severe look in her eyes.

"Have you forgotten anything this time?" she asked right away.

Neville reddened right away and started to open his trunk, but his grandmother stopped him. She said they would look at it at home. As for Harry, he walked right away to his mother, who pulled him into an embrace. Ron noticed she wasn't hugging as tightly as his own mother. She then turned her attention to Ron.

"So, you must be Ronald. Your mother talks a lot about you. And so does your sister," she told Ron.

He knew that both his and Harry's mothers knew each other, but he didn't think his mother would have talked so much about him only in two encounters. As for Ginny... well, she was talking all the time. She certainly talked about many other things beside one of her brothers. Ron simply nodded, a little intimidated. He had gotten used to Harry quite quickly after they first met on the Hogwarts Express, but the woman in front of him had also actually fought and survived He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. For days, he wasn't certain about what to expect from that woman when he would meet her in person, and he wasn't sure what to do now either.

"Hi, Hermione. How are you?" she then asked to the girl next to them.

"I'm fine." So she knew Hermione already. "Thanks for inviting me, but..."

"That's alright. I won't try to steal a daughter away from her parents. Well, it's cold, I'm sure you're all eager to get home. So let's go."

Indeed, it was cold outside. Ron followed Harry, his mother leading the march. After they crossed the barrier, they said goodbye to Hermione who went to find her own parents. Ron was wondering how they would travel to Harry's home, when his mother led them to a car in the parking. From the outside, it looked far more spacious than the Ford Anglia his father owned. There had to be a lot of space inside. However, when they put their trunks into the back compartment of the car, Ron soon realized this car was even smaller than his dad's. The trunks barely fitted in the back compartment, and they had to bring Hedwig and Scabbers on the back seats with them, which only left place for two people already. The space was cramped, and Ron didn't understand why they had to put on what they called a safety belt. Harry had to show him how to put it.

"What's the use of it?" Ron asked, bothered by the feeling of the belt on his shoulder and around his waist.

"In case we have an accident," Mrs Evans said. "That kind of things saves lives."

"My father has a car, and there's no such thing."

"I guess his car is also much larger than the exterior lets on."

"I guess," Ron answered hesitantly as the engine was activated. He felt a wind of heat coming to his face.

"Magically modified. Mine is not." The car backed off as they moved out of the parking lot. "I can't take the risk of my neighbors seeing this, or else they could ask questions."

There were Muggles living in the village nearby their home, and yet Ron's family never refrained from using magic. As the journey began, he started talking with Harry. His mother sometimes jumped shortly into the conversation but kept her eyes on the road. After over an hour of travel, Ron began to find the time long.

"Are we there soon?" he asked.

"It' about another hour. We're halfway," Harry's mother replied.

"Halfway? Only?"

"We live in Northampton, Ron. It's about two hours of driving between it and London, and we're in the middle of winter, so it takes more time," Harry explained.

"You don't have a way to travel more quickly?" Ron asked, unbelieving that a woman who survived He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named needed two hours to travel from her home to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.

"We could, Ronald, but that could raise suspicions," Mrs Evans explained. "We live in a small apartment. If we yell or scream, people can hear us through the walls. Sometimes, I hear the yelping of my dog's neighbor through them. The more I use magic, the more I take a risk to be discovered, with all the problems it could entail."

Ron was surprised. His family never had that kind of problems. But when they finally arrived at Harry's home, he thought he understood better. His home was only one door out of a dozen in line, glued together.

"All your neighbors are Muggles? There's not a single wizard among them?" he asked as they discharged their belongings from the car.

"Not to my knowledge," Harry's mother replied evenly. "Now, let's get inside."

Ron's home might not be great, but it was large. This apartment seemed so small from the outside. When he got inside, however, he was surprised. The place, as small as it was, was cramped with Christmas decorations and trees everywhere like Ron seldom saw it.

"Wow, Mom! You really outdid yourself this year," Harry exclaimed himself. "Are there any left to install?"

"No. This year, my dear, you're celebrating Christmas, not preparing it," his mother said.

"What's that?" Ron had approached something that looked like stuffed toys on stuffed snow. There was a small red circle on the snow, with an inscription reading Touch me that Ron hit. The toys immediately began to waddle, and a loud music came out of them as yellow, red and green lights appeared inside of them.

"Wow! I never saw that kind of magic," Ron said.

Both Harry and his mother laughed. Ron didn't understand why. "It's not magic, Ron. It works with batteries," Harry said. Ron was still at a loss. What were batteries?

"We'll explain you later," Mrs Evans said. "For now, who wants a hot chocolate?"

"I'll help you prepare some," Harry said right away.

"You can prepare one for myself as well," another voice said. Ron thought it came from the living room, and he got his confirmation when a tall man in his thirties, with grey eyes and generous black hair came from it. Harry went to him right away.

"Sirius!"

"Hey, here's my favourite boy!" Harry exchanged with this man a shaking of hands like Ron never witnessed before. It seemed to be something only they knew about. "So, how was Hogwarts? I want to know everything."

"Before Harry starts telling you about his time at Hogwarts, you should welcome his friend," the mother pointed out. The man looked at Ron and walked to him.

"So, you're Harry's new friend." He extended a hand. "Sirius Black. I'm Harry's godfather."

"Ron Weasley," he replied mechanically.

"Weasley. I know that name. I think you and I are related, my boy."

"Maybe we should prepare the hot chocolates, Mom," Harry told his mother in the meantime.

"You're right. Let's get to it," she replied.

Harry went with his mother to what was their kitchen. It was so small when compared to the one at the Burrow. Ron wondered how they could prepare any dinner here. In the meantime, Harry's godfather led him to the living room, where he asked news about Ron's parents, Arthur and Molly. Ron was surprised that this man knew their name. He then explained that his family, the Blacks, had an unhealthy obsession about blood purity, and developed an extensive knowledge of their genealogy. This obsession was so ridicule that they were related to all so-called pure-blood families, including the Weasleys. Ron was surprised by this.

Harry and his mother soon arrived with four fuming cups of chocolate covered with marshmallows. They both had one in each hand. Harry gave one of his to Ron. Ron almost burned his tongue when he drank it, but it was very good and warming.

"Made in the Muggle fashion," Mrs Evans said. "That's what my mother used to tell me when I came home for Christmas."

They all savored their chocolate together. In the meantime, Harry's mother was asking him a lot of questions.

"So, Ronald, your family has gone to Romania, Harry told me?"

"Yes. My brother Charlie is working with dragons there."

"And.. how many brothers do you have? Harry told me once, but I don't remember."

"Five brothers. Bill is in Egypt. He works for Gringotts there. Then there are Percy, and Fred, and George, who remained at Hogwarts for the holidays. And there's Ginny, my little sister. She's gone with my parents to Romania to visit Charlie."

"Yes, I met her. Twice. She's quite enthusiastic when it comes to Quidditch, I can tell you."

"Really?" He had never known Ginny to be a fan of Quidditch.

"Yes. I was sitting next to her and your mother during your match against Slytherin. She may be small, but she made the noise of ten supporters by herself."

"I didn't know," Ron said. "Though I should have guessed. We can never shut her up. She keeps talking all the time."

"Really? She didn't give me that impression when I met her."

"It's because we were leaving for Hogwarts. She cried while the train was going away."

"Oh, yes, that I saw. And your older brother, Percy. The one who is a Prefect, I think. He is well advanced at Hogwarts?"

"Fifth year. He's taking his O.W.L.s this year."

"Do you know what he's planning to do after Hogwarts?"

"Minister of Magic."

Harry laughed next to him, and Ron joined him. Both the mother and the godfather looked amused by this.

Later, Mrs Evans brought them to the park for skating on the ice ring there. Ron had no skates, so Harry's mother made some appear for him. It was the first time Ron saw her use magic since they met.

Harry seemed very familiar with that, but Ron wasn't that used to skating. He needed Mrs Evans' help to hold straight on the ice, which he succeeded after a moment. Harry's godfather remained aside, watching them. He was joined by another man, an old friend of Harry's father, Remus Lupin, meanwhile. When they went back to the apartment late in the evening, Ron was extenuated. Harry and his mother prepared the dinner, which was delicious, even by his mother's standards. Did they exchange recipes when they met?

As the days went by, Ron was familiarized with something quite different to what he was used to for Christmas. Magic was seldom used in Harry's home. Also, Ron was surprised how Harry helped his mother with everything, especially the cooking. Ron's mother sometimes asked them to help prepare dinner, and Ron complied even though he would have liked to do something else. Why cut turnips using your hands when you could throw a spell to the knives so they would do it by themselves? Harry's mother did all the opposite, although sometimes she used a spell or two to speed up things, like washing the dishes. Most surprisingly though, Harry always helped his mother prepare the meals. She didn't even need to ask him. He woke up early each morning to help her with breakfast, and they came home early when they got out so he could assist her with lunch or dinner.

Harry was good at cooking. Ron couldn't deny it. But he didn't spend his whole vacations in a kitchen. He showed Ron the places where he grew up. Ron found some of them ordinary, like his elementary school or the football field where he used to play. Dean had failed at explaining this sport to Ron, and Harry failed too. He didn't understand why they so much loved a sport where you couldn't fly and where players barely got the right to touch each other.

Christmas arrived quickly. Ron enjoyed his time at Harry's home. Despite the absence of magic and how Ron found weird some things he and his mother did, he had a good time. The same could not be said about Scabbers, who seemed particularly miserable and refused to get out of his cage. Ron gave up on cheering him after a few days.

On Christmas Eve, Mrs Evans prepared a huge feast. It was almost as big as those Ron's own mother prepared for Christmas. The food was a little different, but it was very good. Ron filled his stomach without any complaints. He often spoke while his mouth was full of turkey. In the next morning, Harry woke him up, wishing him a very good Christmas. In the living room, the three adults were waiting for them with Christmas hats, and magical fireworks, though they were noiseless. Ron's presents from his mother had arrived, and Harry's mother also gave him some. They had a pleasant morning opening all of them. They went skating again, which Ron enjoyed a little more, watched television (Ron now understood why his father was so fascinated by this thing, although he wondered why Muggles needed such big crates to have people moving when a small photo was more than enough), and played boardgames, although none were magical. There was also Christmas dinner that was just as wonderful as the one they had taken the day before. When Ron went to bed this night, his belly filled while Harry helped his mother putting back into place everything, he was smiling like a big baby, and it didn't take him long before he got asleep like a big baby as well.

To summarize this chapter, Christmas with the Potters. Holidays are certainly much happier than if Harry lived with the Dursleys.

Please review.

Next chapter : Harry

By the way, I'm reviving a practice from my other fanfictions that I didn't implement first in this one, for reasons I don't understand myself. Each time you review, I'll send you an excerpt of the next chapter along with my reply to your review. I always reply to each and every review I receive.