Autumn 1991

Ronald Weasley

Ron reached the first set of stairs he could find and propelled himself upwards, sniffling back tears as he went. He could hardly believe that the twins would be so cruel to their own brother. After all, what had actually changed since he got to Hogwarts? Ron didn't think he was very different. If anything, he had changed most dramatically during the summer before, and even then the twins hadn't treated him so poorly. Just a few months ago they were all standing on the platform, ready to board the train, when Fred and George had agreed to look out for him. Ron couldn't believe them.

The worst part was that he didn't know how to remedy the situation. He had tried to be nice to them, even when they threw accusations in his face, and he couldn't have done anything more. Had he made mistakes? Yes, he hadn't meant to make Hermione cry. But he had already decided that he didn't want to be that person, he never intended to be that person. So why couldn't they get any sense through their thick skulls?

Ron pushed open a door at the top of the staircase and stepped out onto the battlements of the astronomy tower. He took a deep breath of the fresh air and savoured the cold wind against his cheeks. From there he could see the entire grounds, which spread out like a small mountain beneath the tower and angled away into green hills and the dark canopies of the forest. For just a moment the scenery took his mind away to somewhere else. Somewhere where nothing but the castle mattered.

"Ron, right?" A girl's voice said behind him, drawing Ron back into the present. At some point, someone had followed him and he had barely even noticed.

Great, maybe they'll push me off the tower.

Ron turned to face the follower and found himself a little shocked when he recognized her. Penelope Clearwater was the other prefect that Percy patrolled with and he had seen them together a number of times. Her presence only made him frown harder, at some point he had forgotten that the astronomy tower was supposed to be off-limits.

"I didn't mean to be up here," he said shortly. He tried his best to steady his voice, but he wasn't sure it worked.

Penelope gave him a kind smile. "I know," she said softly. "I followed you up here, I noticed you were crying. And, well, you're Percy's brother, aren't you?"

Ron nodded and rubbed his face with the palms of his hands. They came away with a thin layer of tears. His face was probably beaten red, but Ron found that at that moment he didn't care. What did it matter if Penelope Clearwater thought he was a baby? His own brothers seemed to think he was some sort of blood-purist terrorist.

"I'm his partner, you know, when we patrol?" She stepped around Ron and leaned over the battlements, looking down below. "He talks about you a lot, I think you might be his favourite brother, but he really won't pick."

Ron sniffed. He hated how crying could make it so hard to breathe. "He's my favourite too," he said. He wasn't sure if it was true, after all, he had Charlie and Bill to think of. But, at that moment Ron was sure it wasn't the twins.

"You seemed pretty upset, did something happen with another student?"

Ron sighed. "No, I wish it did. It was my brothers, Fred and George."

Penelope grimaced. "Percy told me that they've been unfair to you, about being a Slytherin."

"He put it lightly."

"You should know that there's nothing wrong with any of the houses. I'm sure you're sick of hearing that, but you really should take it to heart. I mean, I wouldn't mind being a Slytherin." She looked up from the ground below and moved her eyes across the horizon. "We're all here, together, isn't that enough? To go to the best wizarding school in Europe?"

Ron wondered if she was talking to him for Percy's sake or because she actually cared. Strangely, he hoped it was for Percy, he didn't want to ruin someone else's day because he couldn't keep himself together in front of the twins. He reached up and wiped his eyes one last time, wiping away the last of the tears. He hoped that the wind would get rid of the puffiness.

"It's not enough for my brothers," he said. He leaned out over the railing to trail his eyes along the grounds. The students below looked more like ants than wizards and witches. He wondered how long it would take someone to fall. He bit his lip and took a step backwards.

He felt suddenly lucky that Penelope had followed him up to the tower and not someone else. He couldn't stop himself from cringing. What if Malfoy decided to have Crabbe or Goyle throw him over. There was a large gap between breaking someone's arm and killing them, but if Theo had joked about crossing the line, would Malfoy?Merlin, I hope not.

Penelope noticed his weary look. "There's a charm," she said, pointing her finger over the edge. "It catches anyone who falls… I probably wouldn't test it."

Ron's lips tugged upwards at the corners. "No, I wouldn't test that either. I fell off my broom a while ago and ended up in St Mungo's. Not something I want to do again."It also made me see visions of my brother's death.

"You know, Ron, you remind me a lot of your brother Percy. You have the same glint in your eye when you're worried about something."

Ron pursed his lips as he wondered if she was telling the truth. If she was, he almost laughed, his eyes must have been gleaming all of the time. After all, he could hardly remember a moment recently when he wasn't worrying about something. Even now, knowing there was a charm, he was still worried that someone might try and throw someone else off of the tower. In fact, the charm probably made it even more likely.

"Why did you follow me up here?" He asked her.

"Just because you were upset, I think it helps to have someone to talk to. Even if you don't want to talk about what happened."

"I killed a troll," he said softly.

Penelope froze for a moment and then nodded. "Percy and I spoke about it, I think we both agreed that it should never have happened. I mean, the school shouldn't have put you in that position. I'm sorry."

Ron shrugged, he would probably have to put himself in far more danger when Salazar told him to. He would do anything to protect Charlie, and at least he had saved Hermione's life in the process of combating the troll. He struggled to imagine a world where he just let her die. It wasn't a world he wanted to live in.

"It's not just that," he said, "it's what my brothers think of it. They think I'm betraying them, that I'm not a Weasley anymore. Because I made someone cry and then, I did make it better, but I almost got her hurt… and they don't like my friends." Ron sighed. "They're probably going to tell my parents what happened, and make it seem worse than it was."

"I'm sorry," she said. "It doesn't sound like they're being very nice."

"They haven't been nice all year. I don't know what I did to them, but I'm not sure it's going to get better."

"It will," she said assuredly, "family fights, but something as silly as your house won't last forever. You won't be in Hogwarts for the rest of your life, and I think, once they see how you're adapting they'll probably apologise. As long as you aren't actually killing trolls every semester?"

He snorted. "Bloody hell, Mum would kill me herself."

Penelope laughed at that and leaned back from the railing. "It's cold up here," she rubbed her arms. "We should probably head back inside, you know, we aren't supposed to be up here anyway."

Ron nodded, she was probably right. His arms had started to turn pink and had started to be covered in bumps. "Thank you, for distracting me."

She smiled. "I know you already have Percy, but if you ever need anyone to talk to, anyone older, you're more than welcome to come to me. I always used to go to my older sister."

Ron wasn't sure if that was such a good idea, but he nodded anyway. He didn't really like airing out his family's issues to others, especially when that person was so close to Percy. Yet, at the same time, he decided that Penelope was nice enough. He was glad that Percy was her friend, and he hoped they would be friends for a while longer. He imagined that she would be good for his brother, Ravenclaws tended to have a calmness that Gryffindors and Weasleys lacked.

They stepped back inside and walked down to the third floor together, Penelope making sure that Ron was okay a final time before they both went their separate ways.

Honestly, Ron wasn't okay, but he had recovered enough to clear his face and pretend that he was. Still, he felt as if the twins had sunk a knife into his heart, a deep agonising space that couldn't be filled.

Ron wandered his way through the halls with no particular urgency and slowly descended until he finally reached the dungeons. He welcomed the way the walls drew in closer and the sea of green ties that moved past him. He couldn't help but feel slightly relieved to be returning to the common room. Despite his short time at Hogwarts, a part of him already considered it a second home and he dreaded ever having to stay another night in the infirmary. As much as Theo annoyed him, he would much rather be sharing a room with him and Blaise.

Ron approached the common room door and muttered the password only to realise it had been a long time since Hallowe'en and the password had changed. He wiped his hands through his hair, trying to cure whatever fogginess had come over him before he spoke again. "Locusts"

He was hit immediately by the subtle warmth of the hearths which sent a small shiver of relief up his arms. For some reason that he couldn't quite explain, he had to stop himself from sobbing again. He clenched his jaw harshly and immediately moved into the room, the door closing itself behind him.

Ron was glad to see Blaise, Daphne, and Tracey sitting in one of the small circles and he immediately went to join them. Without so much as a word, he plopped down into one of the chairs drawing all three sets of eyes.

Blaise gave him a friendly smile. "You've finally been released?" he asked. "I'll be glad to have you back, I swear Theo snores louder when it's only the two of us."

Ron offered him a pained smile in return, still struggling with whatever feelings had been brought on when he opened the door.

"Are you alright?" Daphne asked him.

He nodded. "Just some family issues."

Blaise frowned, knowing already about the letter his mother had sent when he was originally sorted. "The same thing?" he asked.

"Kind of, it's the twins this time. They confronted me about killing the troll. And… about our friendship."

"Oh…" Blaise looked away. "Ron, if you—"

"No," Ron interrupted. "They're completely wrong, and if it wasn't that then it would be something else. Always is with them."

Blaise nodded back, a look of relief on his face.

"Did they prank you?" Daphne asked.

"No, nothing like that. Just talked to me," he mumbled. "Said I was evil."

"Evil?" Tracey snorted. "You're probably the nicest one of us here. I mean, you're basically out of a muggle storybook. You saved some long-haired princess from an evil monster."

"Thanks?" Ron said. He had never read a muggle storybook.

"Do you want me to tell your brothers?" She asked. "I don't think I'm afraid of them. I mean, I did a pretty good prank too, didn't I?"

"Nobody should be afraid of them, Trace," Daphne nodded. "They're just two more know-it-alls. How can they know anything about Weasley if they won't even properly talk to him?"

"I don't think you're evil either," Blaise added. "You're a blood-traitor, after all. It's not like you're going to torture muggles."

"Exactly," Tracey agreed. "You should get an Order of Merlin for saving Granger."

Ron's eyes widened. An order of Merlin? He wasn't sure he had done something to warrant that. Sure, he had saved Hermione's life, but he had been the one to put her in danger in the first place. He wasn't sure that's how the award was supposed to work.

Ron took a deep breath. "Thank you," he said sincerely.

What did it matter if the twins hated him? He couldn't change the past and he couldn't change who he was. Maybe, Penelope was right and they just needed more time to see him for who he was and not who they feared him to be. Wasn't that what Daphne also meant? In the meantime, he still had Percy and his friends too. If the twins wanted to play that game, then he would play it better. He wouldn't forgive them, he wasn't sure if he could, but he could certainly ignore them and he could certainly prove them wrong. At some point, if Penelope was right, they'd be forced to apologise. And then they would understand how much they hurt him.