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“Ronnie, hey, it’s time to get up.” The voice softly entered his dream, eerily wispy. Then, someone shook his shoulder, and Ron shot awake. He flailed around for a few seconds before calming himself. When he
fully
came to, he opened his eyes to a surprisingly teary-eyed George. Behind him, he could make out the shadow of Fred pacing.
Ron yawned and frowned slightly. “What’s wrong? Is it Harry-”
“I don’t know. McGonagall said there was something wrong with Dad,” answered George. Whatever sleep still clung to Ron disappeared in an instant, and he staggered to his feet. Without another word, the twins pressed him forward and forced him out of the dorm. He kept his head ducked and looked away from the confused, inquiring gazes of his roommates.
When they came down the stairs, he was met with Ginny’s terrified gaze. Before the thought even crossed his mind, George quickly crossed the room and tackled her into a hug. Ron continued standing beside Fred, and Fred just kept firing off a
battery
of questions.
“What happened to Dad? How do we know what happened? Why was he even in that situation? Is he okay? Is he going to be okay? Does Mom know?”
“Mr. Weasley, all will be explained in due time. Come with me to Dumbledore’s office.” McGonagall started to usher them along, ignoring Fred’s protests and Ginny’s shaky voice starting up her own.
Ron made the mistake of turning back to look at the stairs. At the top, barely visible, he met Seamus’s eyes. Seamus offered a shaky smile, trying to reassure him. Behind him, Dean leaned over and gave Ron a thumbs up. They don’t… They
can’t
know just how serious this is. So, he forced a smile and continued to follow the rest of his family out of the small home he formed over the past five years.
The first time he came here, when he split from Percy, he anxiously entered his room. His only new friend, Harry, was sorted into Slytherin. And while Harry never really seemed to be a
bad
guy, it didn’t mean Ron would get a chance to grow any closer than he already did.
But now, he just… He
felt
comfortable with the fact he was a Gryffindor. And he felt comfortable with the other two in his room. And while the room might have been livelier if he shared with Harry, he made closer friends with Dean and Seamus.
But right now, he never felt more uncomfortable. Whether he was with the same people he became fast friends with or whether he was with someone else, it didn’t matter. He didn’t feel like he belonged here… Belonged in
Hogwarts.
He walked behind his siblings, even as they entered Dumbledore’s office. Ron froze the second he stepped over the threshold. Nestled between the books and the desk, Harry stood and spoke with the headmaster. As if sensing the shock, Harry immediately looked over at Ron. He paled upon seeing his face, and Ron ducked his head.
“Harry, what’s going on?” said Ginny, cautiously. When did she become the spokesperson? When did Ginny become the one who was more comfortable speaking with Harry than himself? But… But these questions weren’t important. “Professor McGonagall says you saw-”
And then Dumbledore started explaining, and his stomach fell dramatically. His father was injured, his father was at St. Mungo’s, his father could be dying right now. He had to leave Hogwarts…
Ron couldn’t speak. George and Fred just kept speaking and speaking, and they wanted answers, and they wanted to know how to help. And Ginny hurried over to Harry, looking for the truth and…
Ron could barely breathe.
They grabbed the Portkey, and they went to Grimmauld Place. Sirius bustled out, his eyes purely focused on Harry. “Dumbledore told me your father was in the hospital… Hey, it’s going to be okay.”
“Is it?” snapped Fred, cheeks flushed bright red. “Because last I checked, my father was in the
fucking hospital.”
“Fred-” Ginny started.
George cut her off instantly. “We don’t even get to
know
what happened. Harry,
what the hell?”
“Harry’s had a rough night, so if you could not just
attack
him about this-”
“Oh,
Harry
has? Well, tough! I think Dad’s night was worse than anyone’s!” shouted Fred over Sirius.
Sirius bristled. “Sacrifices have to be made-”
“Easy to say from the man hidden in his big, old house! What sacrifices have you made?” George finally shoved Ginny in Ron’s direction, and Ginny just gaped at him, betrayed. It took a few seconds for Ron to process. When he tried to step out and wrap his arms around her, she already ducked away and stormed off to the armchair. She collapsed and waited.
Harry cleared his throat. His voice came out ragged. “Stop! Just… Just gimme a second, and then I can start to explain.”
And explain he did. The entire time, Harry’s eyes wandered over to Ron, but Ron couldn’t offer any comfort. Instead, he focused his attention on the tops of his feet. He didn’t even get the time to put his shoes on. He zoned out halfway between talk about snakes and dreams and just… He wasn’t wearing shoes, and there was nothing else he could possibly hope to notice.
When the story ended, he stumbled over to the chair beside Ginny and covered his face with his hands. The seat next to him shifted as someone else sat down, and then there was Harry. Speaking so tenderly as if Ron could break at any moment. “Ron, I’m so sorry, I… I would have went to you. I was
going
to you. Draco said it was just a dream, and Snape obviously didn’t believe me, so I was running to the Gryffindor Tower but McGonagall caught me and-”
And the whole time, Ron’s dad was bleeding out. Because Snape didn’t believe him. A soft rage sparked inside him before deflating immediately, and Ron just curled in on himself. He could feel Harry talking at him, but none of it really came through clear.
The door to the kitchen swung open around 5:10. Ron checked his watch before looking up. The second he saw his brother’s face, he knew he didn’t need to bother to get to his feet. Fred and Harry didn’t get the memo, and both of them were taking hesitant steps towards Bill.
Bill offered a helpless sort of smile, seeking out any form of comfort. His red-rimmed eyes settled on Ron for a split second, and Ron just
knew.
Ron gagged a little, and Bill looked away as fast as possible. He struggled to get the words out, opening and closing his mouth in an effort to start.
In the end, Ginny beat him to the punch. “He’s dead, isn’t he?”
“I-”
“Oh,
Merlin…”
Fred collapsed back down, the stunned expression written across his face. Ron doesn’t look. If he looked, he would see the beginning of tears in Fred’s eyes. And then, he would cry. And if he cried, Ginny would cry and…
George went ashen, and he got to his feet and practically
lunged
at Bill. The second they connect, George started sobbing. And from his position on the couch, so did Fred. And Ginny started sniffling and-
Ron pushed to his feet and fled to his room. How did a
bloody snake
steal away his father? Before he can even reach the staircase, someone catches his arm. He spun around harshly, ready to fling any words he needed to escape.
Harry bit down on his bottom lip, the blood already pooling out. “I’m so sorry. Ron, I-”
“Let me go.” His voice broke on the words, and he let out a hysterical laugh. “Please, Harry. Let me go.”
“Ron, I need to-”
“Let me
go!”
he finally snapped, and the anger pulsing through his words was enough to get Harry to flinch. He yanked his arm free and continued his flight up to the room. And even though he
knew
he needed to share it with Harry, he couldn’t care less. He slammed the door shut, and he locked it, and he sunk to his knees.
And only when he couldn’t hear the noises from below, he started sobbing.