Chapter Text
Ron, reincarnated and... ignored?
Snip notes: This is a very rough start of an idea. Ron is still Ron... Sort of. Rather than a traditional insert or a re-incarnation story, Ron has more or less gotten to 'see' the world of the Harry Potter book and movie series through the eyes of someone that's read it. He's not a true re-incarnation. Little Ron got something like a seer's vision of someone's life and knowledge, that just happened to love the series and has a bit of an identity crisis from it... He didn't like what he'd seen of 'himself' either. Granted, this isn't a canon world, so things go off the rails right at the start. He's in for an interesting life.
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Ron stared out the window of the Hogwarts Express and let out a small sigh. He was 11, on the way to a school to learn magic, he should be excited, shouldn't he? But, he wasn't, not really. He'd been Ronald Weasley for eleven years, but he still remembered something of 'before'. He knew the 'Harry Potter' stories inside and out, it had been one of the things he loved most... but now... now he was living it and nothing was the same.
For one, he'd never be friends with Harry now, at least not the way he'd been in the books, that much was for sure. Harry had indeed become the 'Boy who lived', but then things had changed from the story he knew. Peter Pettigrew had been caught months after that Halloween night, Sirius had been cleared after being falsely imprisoned, and Harry had been rescued from the Dursleys. Harry was living with Augusta Longbottom, Sirius not able to provide full time care. Harry and Neville seemed to be best buds, along with a few others from the better off families... As he'd found out while searching for a compartment on the train, and found Harry's compartment already full.
Granted, it should have been a tip off that something was different right from the start... Percy had never found a 'pet rat' in the garden, so that was number one. There were no 'Boy who lived' fantasy books either... Sighing again Ron looked at his hand me down robes and wand, unicorn tail hair poking just a bit out of the end. That it seemed was still 'canon'. Percy got new robes and an owl, Ginny got a new dress, not one from the second hand store either... and he got the thread bare robes along with a badly matched, used, wand. Why? Why hamper him so? The owl and robes alone were more than double what a wand would cost, surely it would be better to buy a 'new to them' set of clothes and make sure that Ron would be able to do well in school...
He'd been given such flack at home for trying to learn that he'd pretty much given up... at least when he could be seen. Waking up at 4am to read what few books there were in the house was his only chance at getting even a bit ahead. He'd found a surprising ally in the twins for that however, as they'd slip him their textbooks and school notes. For as much as they had poor grades, they really were intelligent.
One day when Molly was out of the house and they were far out in the orchard, they admitted they'd been tanking their class scores on purpose. They told him to try for any house other than Gryffindor as another house was likely able to give him breathing room from 'Mollycoddling Molly'. They'd managed to talk to grandfather Prewitt and he'd named them his heirs due to the 'twin clause' without Molly's knowledge, so they had a safe haven once they were grown or were disowned... but Ron was kind of stuck. They did promise to help when they could, even if it wasn't often, which still meant a lot to him. As goofy and unconcerned as the twins came off, they did care about their little brother.
His mother seemed to have an uncanny knack of keeping him from having money to buy his own things as well... after trying to save his 'pocket money' for more than three years, he'd given up. She went and took any he didn't spend on their rare outings, ignoring his protests for wanting to try and save for this or that, nothing he said ever changed her mind. The few times he'd managed to hide a few sickles or knuts in an attempt to get himself a better quill and ink pot, they were quickly found and taken by her while 'cleaning'. Any sweets or small items that he may be able to trade to others for a few sickles once school started also met the same fate... and he couldn't keep a journal without finding her or Ginny riffling through it.
He was so very hopeful that the 'come and go' room was like it was in the books... even if he only could get his hands on a mokeskin pouch or a better matched wand, he'd call it a win. Anything so he could store his things safely or have a little bit of privacy in his own room...
Turning his gaze away from the window, he put his nose back into the book on privacy spells the twins had loaned him when they'd gotten on the train. If nothing else, he could try for Ravenclaw in the hopes of breaking the 'family tradition'. He paused as he heard a knock on the door and a bushy haired girl poked her head in, looking nervous.
“Um... C-could I come and sit in here with you? I just got kicked out of my compartment by some older girls...”
Ron's head snapped up in shock. Hermione! He'd forgotten about her in his moping. Well, he wasn't going to be a berk to her, that was for sure. She'd had a pretty miserable time of it before becoming friends with 'Book Ron and Harry', maybe he could at least nip that in the bud.
“Sure, c'mon in. Dunno how much company I'll be, but yea.” He looked at the trunk in the hall. “Want a hand with your trunk?”
“Please... I wish my dad would have sprung for the feather light option...” Ron nodded in sympathy and helped her lift the heavy, awkward thing into the overhead rack.
“I know how that goes... I got stuck with my older brother's trunk... about the only spells left working on it are the anti-moth charms... At least we'll not have to move them to our dorms... The castle staff will take care of that.” He was careful not to mention house elves to her at the moment, that could wait till he knew where things stood... and if she'd get the wrong idea about them again.
Hermione huffed a bit after getting her trunk on the rack and flopped into the seat across from him. “I'm an only child... Must be nice having an older brother...”
“Try five.... Five older brothers and a younger sister... It's the pits to be honest.” He sighed and held up his obviously battered wand. “You'd think a properly matched wand would be important, but I get that as a hand off too...” He was about to say more when there was another knock on the door.
“Anything off the trolley dears?” Of course, the sweet cart.
Ron shook his head, his ears going quite red. “I have no money for anything, I was given sandwiches. What about you?”
At first Hermione was going to say no, but... “Um... I've never had magical sweets before...”
“Well... do you like chocolate?” She nodded. “Can't go wrong with chocolate frogs then... They're magicked to give a jump when you open the box, but otherwise they're just good chocolate.” Ron explained and the trolley lady nodded.
“Nicely put young man. There are lots of magical treats, but I'd have to agree with his assessment. If it's your first time trying anything, that's one of your best bets.”
Nodding, Hermione selected two of the frogs and then after a moments hesitation, also bought two bottles of butterbeer. “Thank you.”
The trolley lady left and the pair were left to their own devices again, foodstuffs set on the seat for the moment.
“I just realized I don't know your name. I'm Ronald Weasley... Tho just call me Ron please.”
“Oh, right. I'm Hermione Granger... So... um...”
They looked at each other awkwardly and then started snickering. “We're not too good at this whole 'being social' thing, are we?”
She smiled a bit. “I don't know... I don't think we're doing too bad... You haven't called me names and I haven't managed to insult you somehow...”
“Fair enough.” Ron opened his foil pack of sandwiches and then sighed. “Do you like corned beef? My mother is a good cook but... She forgot I don't like corned beef... again. I'm only going to be able to manage half of it at any rate.” It was one of the things that he and 'original Ron' had in common. They'd eat it, but that didn't mean they'd like it.
“Oooo I love corned beef. Sure, but only if you trade me half for a butterbeer and a frog.” Hermione was glad for a reason to offer him a trade, since she wasn't sure how to offer him it without looking like she was trying to bribe him into being her friend.
“Deal.” He replied with a grin and carefully separated the sandwiches so they each had half. Despite not liking the sandwiches, Ron had to admit that they were anything but small.
They sat and nibbled the sandwiches for a bit, sipping bits of butterbeer, and then he showed Hermione the trick of opening the frog box so that it wouldn't jump out and ruin the chocolate. She made a face at the realistic movement, but settled and took a cautious bite when it stopped moving.
“Wow, these are good. Thanks for the recommendation. I was originally going to skip the sweets because my parents are dentists... They're not fond of sugar...”
“Den-tists?” Ron pretended to look a bit confused. “Those are some kind of muggle... um... teeth healer right? The muggle studies book I got a hold of for a bit didn't say much more than that.”
“Yes. They are...” She paused, not wanting to talk about teeth because it was a bit of a sore subject to her at the moment. “You like to read?”
“When I can get a chance...” Ron's face screwed up in annoyance. “It's hard to get any time or privacy at home to read with all my family. The twins aren't too bad, but it's a madhouse with seven people in the house... and that's now that my two oldest brothers have moved out. Nine people, one house... one bathroom... Never mind the nosy little sister who won't stay out of my things.” He sighed and pointed to a rather battered copy of 'Hogwarts a history' on the seat next to him, the cover held on with some kind of tape. “My sister tried to rip the book I was reading out of my hands and trashed it... more than it already was.” He huffed in frustration, since he'd been blamed for the damage, like usual. “Don't get me wrong, I love my family, but sometimes... sometimes I don't like them very much.”
Hermione winced at the very battered version of what had become her favourite book recently. “Ooof... That's rough. Do you like Hogwarts a history at least?”
“Eh... so so. It's a good read, don't get me wrong... but I'd like to get my hands on an older copy. One before they started editing it to heck and back.”
She paused and looked startled, then not pleased. “What do you mean... edited?”
“Just what I said... they've stripped out bits and pieces here and there... It's frustrating because it's been masterfully done, but the clues are there. Look at the stuff about the statute of secrets and why lots of things about Slytherin are missing... among other things. Those are just the ones that are most obvious without having a magical background.”
“But... but... Books...” Ah... there was the blind trust in books. Best to try and nip that off right now.
“Hermione... books are written by people. People can be wrong, misleading and out right lie. You need to take the information and draw your own answers...”
She slumped against the seat and looked like the wind had been taken from her sails. “I... You're right. It's just... books and my parents have been all I've had for so long...” She trusted them because as far as she knew, they'd never lied to her, hurt her or called her names... Adults and teachers, she was supposed to be able to trust them.
“They're what you know and trust.” He nodded and then made up his mind. “Hermione, no matter what house we end up in, lets try and meet up now and then if we end up in different ones? I'd like to keep in touch with my first new friend at Hogwarts.”
She beamed at him. “I would like that. I've never had many friends.... What house were you hoping for? I was half hoping for Gryffindor because that was the house Dumbledore was in... but...”
Ron snickered a little. “Sorry, just trying to imagine you with a beard. You're not Dumbledore and I'm not my siblings. Traditionally Weasley's are Gryffindor, but I'm honestly hoping for Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. I don't want to be 'just another Weasley.'”
Hermione gave him a curious look. “Why not Slytherin?”
“As much as it's supposed to be for the cunning and ambitious, after the last war it got filled with bigots and blood snobs for the most part. That's not to say all of them are bad, but Weasleys are considered 'blood traitors'... I wouldn't get a warm welcome there, neither would muggleborn. A halfblood may fit in but...” Ron shrugged. “I'm here to learn, not to have to watch my back from my future dorm mates... Eventually things will calm down with any luck, but the wounds of the last war are still pretty fresh. Wizards and witches have long memories and even longer lives...”
“Hmmm... Good points. I need to decide what would fit me best and what I want... not on what others have done... Well, minus Slytherin at least. That seems to just be asking for trouble at this point in time with my lack of a magical parent.”
“Yeah, basically. There's not much truth to the whole 'pureblood' thing, at least as far as they take it.” He shuddered. “Marrying a cousin or a sister... eww...”
“What do you mean by 'not much'?” She asked with a raised brow. Ron didn't seem like a 'blood snob' type, so she didn't get why he was kind of defending it.
“Well... bloodlines tend to develop stronger magic over time, special quirks and talents... If they kept it to magical families, muggleborns, and went to other countries to find unrelated matches it wouldn't be too bad... but... well... Ever seen an animal that's been bred to it's siblings and parents too much?” Ron looked a touch ill. “We live near a muggle farm and I've been sneaking over there to learn about animals since I was eight... I got to see a dog like that and it wasn't pretty. They're doing that to themselves... They er... keep it 'in the family' wayyy too much...”
“Oh.... Ewww...” Hermione shuddered and looked a bit ill herself. “I'm guessing that's something I shouldn't talk about unless I know they won't take offence right?”
“Yeah, pretty much....” He paused. “Actually, don't bring it up at Hogwarts at all. Think of this as a new country, with new social customs and manners you'll need to learn. For the most part it's not overly important, but...” He shrugged helplessly. “I think I'd be pretty lost in the muggle world, but there are things that you know not to do there without even thinking about it. I can try to warn you about stuff, but I wouldn't even know where to start.”
She nodded. “Point. Lets just call it a work in progress and hang out together when we can? We have seven years to figure this stuff out.”
“Sounds good to me.”
They spent the rest of the ride chatting about books, magic and various other things, only pausing to take turns changing when the announcement was made that they were close to Hogwarts.
The trip to the castle was surprisingly painless... Malfoy kept to himself for some reason, and Ron wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. The ghosts still startled the first years and soon enough the sorting started.
“Don't get yourself in a flap.
For I'm the sorting hat.
If you want something witty
Go read the original ditty.
Everyone does this stupid song.
So lets now just move along.”
Most of the sorting went like it had in the book, or at least who got placed where did... So he only paid attention to the differences.
“Granger, Hermione!” Ron was curious how things would go now that she'd been given a bit of history and hadn't met Harry Potter or Draco Malfoy on the train... “Ravenclaw!” Not unexpected, he thought and smiled at her, clapping for his friend.
Harry, Neville and Draco all ended up where they had in canon and soon enough it was his turn under the hat.
'Well well, you've got an interesting mind here. Don't worry, I can't tell anyone about what I see in here. You've got a good mind and a thirst to prove yourself, but you'd be right about being a poor fit for Slytherin. You also have the courage for Gryffindor... But you want to stand out from the rest of your family as well... In that case, better be...'
“Ravenclaw!”
'Come talk to me if you get a chance. I may be able to give you a hand, in the metaphorical sense at least, in exchange for a favour... .' Ron looked pleased as he set the hat back on the stool and headed to his new table, happily sitting next to Hermoine, while his brothers looked shocked from their place at the Gryffindor table. People stared for a moment and then went back to what they were doing, mostly whispering about Harry Potter.
Dinner went well and Ron ate like a normal human being, not like the hoover he was often portrayed as. There was some mild chatter and a few curious looks sent his way, the novelty that a Weasley had gone anywhere other than Gryffindor lasting for the meal at least... but aside from that it was a surprisingly unremarkable dinner for being in a magic school.
Dumbledore listed off the normal rules, had them 'sing the school song', as badly as ever at that, and sent them off to bed. There was no warning about out of bounds corridors and even stranger, no Quirrell. Instead Sirius Black was teaching Defence... Maybe that meant Voldy was gone for good here? That could explain at least some of the huge differences...
Ravenclaw proved to be just what Ron had wanted and likely needed, being very much surprised to find that the Ravens each had their own room. It was simple, yes. But it was yours for all seven years and you were expected to learn to make it comfortable and customize it yourself over the next seven years. There were books to read in the common area, a study room for each year, and even scheduled time for each year if you wanted to work on potions in yet another room. Unlike the instant splendour in the Gryffindor room, you had to learn and apply that knowledge to get what you wanted... and that suited him just fine.
He had scribbled off a quick letter to his parents and a prefect had been happy to drop it off at the owlery on their way past for their first rounds of the year. Better to rip that bandage off fast and hard that he wasn't in Gryffindor like the rest of his family. Even so, for the first time in a long time, he fell asleep that night with a smile on his face.
Waking early the next day, he was pleased to find out that unlike the books, the first day of school wasn't a helter skelter, mad dash to find classes. He was less than pleased to find out that despite all of his brothers getting a letter their first breakfast at school, he had none. It kind of stung, he wasn't going to lie to himself and say it was fine. Even if he hadn't written last night, it had been a tradition for everyone in the family to get a letter on their first day of school... but he still hoped that it would come in with the evening post.
They had breakfast and got their timetables like the books, but that's when things changed. Each first year student group was escorted around the school, shown where each class was and given an introduction to each subject, while returning students were going and handing in their summer homework as well as getting back in the swing of being back at a boarding school.
Ron found Binns as dull and pointless as the books had said, looked to Hermoine near him and mouthed 'Self study together?' to which he got a nod in return. Considering Binns was talking as if he had a full class in progress and the small group had just walked in... it gave little hope that they'd learn much that couldn't be gotten from an older student's notes and the class books.
The rest of the classes were fine... More or less. Snape was a grumpy bastard, who took off points for petty things, but he was easy enough to work around. Knowing that OWLS and NEWTS were graded by an unaffiliated third party was great. It meant that Snape could huff and puff all he wanted, but in the end as long as they put in the work, they'd be graded fairly. He'd mentioned as much to Hermionie once they were far enough away from the room, who seemed relieved that even if he wasn't a great teacher, if they put the effort in, they'd at least get a fair 'final grade'. Ron nodded. “He may be the youngest potions master in... whatever. I can't remember right now. But either way, just because he's good at making them, it doesn't mean he can teach...”
Sirius Black as the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher was interesting... He knew his stuff, that much was sure, but he didn't really know how to teach. As much as he hated to compare him to Snape, neither was a great teacher... The difference was that Black at least was trying to learn and improve as a teacher. Considering the first thing he had done was admit he wasn't great at teaching and had asked the students to tell him when they needed him to explain things more, that won him a lot of points in Ron's eyes.
Charms was the only class to offer a small, practical, lesson in magic with lumos and nox... but by the end of the class, Ron had only managed the barest of flickers of light. He frowned a bit, but made it a point to talk to the professor after class. He had to do something about his wand situation... he'd never be able to learn anything of the practical at this rate.
Hermione had caught him frowning down at his wand a few times during the mini lesson, and she'd tried to help him by watching him cast to see if he was doing anything wrong. “I don't get it... You were doing everything right from what I could see...” She admitted after class as they waited for the other students to start filing out.
“I need to talk to the professor I think...” He sighed. “This wand just isn't going to work well for me... if it isn't already anything more than a stick... I'm sure you got the whole 'wand chooses the wizard or witch' thing when you yours?” She nodded. “Well this one was essentially just tossed at me and I was told to use it...”
That made her wince. Wands weren't cheap, but they were pretty much the most important purchase you made when you started learning magic. Even as a newcomer to magic she'd learned that. “Want me to go or to stay?” She whispered to him as the class had all but left.
“I'll catch up to you later. This... I need to do this on my own I think.” As much as he wanted a friend there for support, it was going to be hard enough to swallow his pride and ask the professor for help.
He was the last one in the room when he approached Professor Flitwick and caught his eye.
“Yes Mr. Weasley? Is there something I can help you with?” Professor Flitwick looked up from his lectern with a curious, but warm expression on his face.
Ron's ears were bright red when he nodded, looking towards the door, checking to be sure nobody was hovering. “Um.... yes... I was wondering if you could check my wand... I couldn't manage to get the spell working and when I did... well...”
The Professor blinked, a bit startled by the admission and then glanced at the wand in Ron's hand. He knew that wand... “Why in Merlin's name do you have that ratty thing? I told Charlie to go to Ollivanders for a new wand and have that one destroyed in his last year before his exams...”
Ron froze and looked at the small professor with a conflicted look on his face. “What? What do you mean 'destroyed'? Did my mother know about this?” His voice sounded a bit strained.
“I wrote her a letter about it, yes... I said he wouldn't be allowed back in class with a wand that could fail at any moment, and any higher level spell could backfire...” Professor Flitwick had a sinking feeling in his stomach as all the colour drained from Ron's face.
“Was that what you said, exactly? No mention about how it was not suitable for any magic, or anything like that?” The Professor shook his head and Ron couldn't help but let his shoulders slump, looking even more hurt than before.
“Come, lets go to my office. You look like you could use some tea and this sounds like something you'd rather not explain in public.”
Ron nodded and followed along behind the professor. “Thank you.”
Once in the privacy of the office, Professor Flitwick called an elf for tea and biscuits, offering them both to Ron, who only took the tea, hoping it would settle his stomach.
“So Ronald...” He noticed the wince “Ron?” Ron nodded. “Ron, why do you have that wand?”
Ron sipped his tea, his hands shaking just a bit. “Mother said that it was 'good enough' for me... I... I...” He sniffled a little. He wasn't going to cry, he wasn't. “Percy and Ginny got new clothes... I mean NEW new... Percy got a screech owl as well... I... She handed me the wand and told me it's what I was using... I... Why? You did tell her it needed to be destroyed and not handed off right?”
“I did. I'm thinking now I should have demanded to have the pieces shown to me...” He couldn't believe this. He knew Molly could be a bit of a spendthrift, but this... this was...
“I just don't understand... Why? Why does she treat me like this?” Ron sniffled again, and he'd deny crying to his dying day. “I try to read, she tells me to stop pretending to read and do my chores... Chores that have been done for hours already. I try to save a few sickles and she takes them from me saying I'm going to 'waste' them. She rifles through my room on a regular basis, I can't even vent in a journal because she or Ginny will go and read it. I... I tried to get a small job doing errands, just for the farmer down the road because I wanted to buy a new quill and journal. Gathering eggs, pulling weeds... she put a stop to that right quick... I ask for help or attention and I'm brushed off. I... I didn't even get a letter this morning... Is... is it wrong to hope that our old owl died and that's why I didn't get one?” He'd been pretty sure that he'd seen Errol at the Gryffindor table from the corner of his eye though.
That caused Professor Flitwick to wince, even if he hid it well. Every Weasley of this generation so far had gotten a letter on their first day at school, to not get one when he was already feeling miserable. “No, it's not wrong to hope that... even if it's a bit mean. I can't say I'd be feeling much different in your shoes at the moment.”
Ron was just glad that the Professor seemed to be sympathetic to his pain at the moment. “I... I just don't know what to do... On the one hand I want to wait and see if my family will write me but... Knowing this wand is worthless and possibly dangerous...” He looked at his hands, and sighed. “I almost want to write a letter and tell Mother about the wand being bad and see what she does... Though I can't use it in classes, that much is certain... but I have no money for a new wand... or even a semi decent used one from the estate shop at the edge of Knocturn.”
Professor Flitwick frowned and then made a decision. “Come on. We're going to go see if we can find you a temporary wand to use from the 'lost wands' room here in the school. There aren't normally very many that have been sitting for more than seven years, but there should be a few. Even a poor match is better than that thing. I'm going to confiscate that wand and hold onto it, to give Molly a piece of my mind later.”
He grinned a little evilly, showing exactly why he was thought to be part goblin at times. “You wanted to see what she'd do? Well, lets find out exactly shall we. You've got a good head on your shoulders and your wand work was as close to flawless as I've ever seen out of a first year. I'm not going to let her ruin your chances at good grades just because she was too... cheap, to invest in a new wand for you.”
Ron couldn't help but laugh a bit as he wiped his face with his sleeve. “Thank you... Maybe... maybe I'm just blowing this out of proportion, but it really hurts. I'm never good enough, never able to be trusted... I... just don't understand why.”
They had just left the Professor's office when Hermoine came around the corner. “Ron? Is everything okay? You just sort of van... Oh, hello Professor Flitwick.” The Professor nodded in return to her greeting.
“It's alright Hermoine. I'm going to be getting a wand loan till I can get my own. Thank you for being concerned, I'll tell you about it later okay?” She looked at him and nodded, not saying a thing about his puffy, red eyes.
“Alright. I'll see you at dinner then?” He nodded and she left Ron and the Professor to what they were doing, realizing that prying at the moment would be in poor taste.
It was a struggle to find Ron a wand out of the few wands that had been abandoned over the years, but he'd finally found a willow wand that seemed to work for him somewhat, but it was quite temperamental and a bit sluggish... but much better than Charlie's old wand. “Well, it doesn't feel great... but it should be functional enough for me to do class work... better than that stick at least.”
“Don't worry Mr. Weasley. We'll get this sorted...” 'Even if I have to go down to the Burrow and hex Molly myself.' “Now that you've got yourself a working wand, you should likely head down to dinner. This took us longer than I'd thought.”
Ron nodded and scampered off to the great hall, eager to eat something, talk to Hermonie and wait to see if he'd get a letter at dinner. Maybe Errol had just fallen asleep during breakfast... At least that was what Ron was telling himself at the moment and hoping.
He ate dinner slowly, pretty much picking at his food and kept looking up for the evening owl delivery, only for his heart to drop as he saw Errol go to Percy and the Twins, then leave without a letter for him. Finally he pushed his plate away, made his excuses and went to the main library to try and find something to distract himself for the evening. Instead he found himself being given a big hug by his twin brothers and being herded to an empty classroom so they could talk.
“We have no idea what's gotten into mother right now.... She adamantly refuses to believe us when we tell her you're not in Gryffindor.”
“She's even mad at Percy and blaming us for hexing his letter to say something different.”
“Hate to say it, but we think she's gone round the twist.”
Ron sighed at the milder version of twin speak, but realized that it was bad if they weren't even a little bit joking about the situation.
“It's worse than you think. Charlie's old wand? Professor Flitwick knew it on sight and had told mum to snap it, that Charlie couldn't continue with a wand that could backfire and hurt himself or others... He's mad guys...Mad enough to let me use a traceless wand from the 'lost' wands for schoolwork... and I'm... I don't know what to think... I... I haven't gotten a letter... I'd take a howler at this point really...”
Fred and George looked at each other, frowned and then nodded. Yeah, Flitwick was pissed if he was letting Ron go traceless. “What do you want to do about it Ron?” “As much as we want to send mum a howler at double volume...”
“I'm going to try writing her another letter tonight and send it in the morning... Going to try telling her about the wand... If she doesn't listen to me then... I... I don't know. You know she won't take anything you say seriously... I nearly lost a finger because she didn't believe you about me getting it stuck while cleaning like she told me to... You had to get Charlie to help and she still argued with him about it. Dad is never home, and he takes her word for everything anyways... so no help there either.”
“Point.” Both twins said at once with a slight grimace at the memory. They may be jokers, but they knew when to stop joking too.
“I... I don't want to fight with her over this but... This is likely going to get ugly. I know you two want to help defend me but... Stay out of it this time okay? Send a letter to warn Charley and Bill that they may want to stay put and stay out of it... I... I think I may ask Professor Flitwick to have words with mum and to also have dad in for it. I don't want to think she gave me a wand that was either dangerous or a dud on purpose but...”
“It doesn't look good, does it?”
“Especially after she spent so much money on Percy and Ginny...”
“Wonder if Percy knows that you got a dud wand so he could get new clothes and an owl...”
“Think we should tell him?”
Ron thought about that a moment. “Ask him and see what he says... I know Ginny's new dress could have bought my wand, possibly twice over... She's a girl and all that, but...”
"A dress that was lightly used and new to her would have been just as nice."
“It's not right that you have to go without a good match. Our wands were a lucky fluke...”
“Twins fitting twins twice... that just doesn't happen, except it did.”
“We've got your back if you have to get into in with mum.”
“Even if it's only behind the scenes... At least unless she does something really dumb...”
Fred and George thought the wand was dumb enough, but they decided to make some plans and contact Gringotts on the sly, just in case. 'Always have a backup plan and a way out.' Was their motto for prank planning, but it worked for life too. They never mentioned, and would deny it if anyone suspected, how the hat wanted to put them in Slytherin, as ambition and cunning they had lots of, but considering the hat wanted to 'unite the school' and they had both threatened to all but burn it to the ground if it had, Gryffindor it was.
“Thanks guys. That means a lot to me.” They gave each other a hug and then split off to their respective houses, Ron waving to Hermione as he headed to the guys side of the dorms. He had a letter to write and send before classes in the morning.
Hermionie waved back at Ron, noting he seemed to be in a rush to get upstairs to his room. She'd ask him about it later, since he'd seemingly been upset earlier and while she was curious, she was starting to realize that he'd likely talk about it when he felt like it. She flushed a bit when one of the prefects had pulled her aside and explained that she was being a bit too... forceful at times, and she'd made it a point to try and correct that as not to alienate her year mates.
She thought it would have been nice if someone had explained it to her before, or at least in a way she understood. Her teachers and other adults seemed to have encouraged the bad behaviour, just because they were trying to make her act like a mini adult due to her intelligence. Seemingly forgetting that while she could emulate being an adult well, doing so around kids her own age made them dislike her for seeming to be a 'bossy know it all'.
An adult could tell a child to do something, but she wasn't an adult... She'd get told off for speaking to an adult in that manner, and it made her seem like a nuisance to others of her own age. Sighing a little, she went to go talk to the more... hair and fashion obsessed girls in their second year. While she'd gotten off on the wrong foot slightly, she'd apologized and they'd agreed to give her a hand toning down her bad habits... and to tame her frizzy hair. While she wasn't much into hair and the like as they were, they were the ones to ask about getting her mane under control.
Meanwhile up in his room, Ron thought long and hard about what he was going to write to his mother. As much as some part of him still loved her, he couldn't think of her as 'mum' right now. It just hurt too much. The fact that he started his letter off with 'Dear Mother' would have raised alarms with most of his other family as he'd never called her anything but 'mum' to her face before. He spent a lot of time thinking about the wording and made several drafts before he had it written... not bothering to hide or remove the couple of tear stains on it. He needed to know... With a sigh, he set the room alarm for the morning and turned out the lights. He'd decided to ask the Professor to give it a look in the morning, possibly to add his own note to it...
The morning came way too early in Ron's opinion, as he shut off the room alarm and dimmed the lights that came on with it as he got out of bed and ready for the day... Using his 'new' wand to cast a small repair spell at his sock, which had torn as he'd put it on. The wand wasn't great, but he managed the spell, which was much better than his attempts with the cruddy wand he'd been given by his mother.
“Urg... Too early.” He stumbled to the shared bathroom area for the guys side to brush his teeth, comb his hair and do a fast wipe down. The showers were already full, and he figured that he'd switch things up to shower in the evenings instead. Well, at least till he could figure out the spells and charms to add one to his room... or find a way to get a spelled trunk. The latter being the more practical, if not more expensive option.
Heading to the common room, he spotted one of the older female students and asked if they knew if Hermionie was up yet, since boys weren't allowed in that section of the tower. Upon learning that she didn't seem to be, he headed over to the Professor's office to give him the letter he finished.
Knocking on the door, he entered when he heard “Come in.”
“Professor... I finished my letter to my mother... I...” Ron swallowed nervously and then sighed. “I spoke to Fred and George last night. Apparently she thinks me being in Ravenclaw is all some kind of prank... or at least so they said when she wrote Percy.” He held up the letter he wanted to send, unsealed in his hand. “I was wondering if you could look it over and... and maybe add your own note to it? Surely she would have to take this seriously if I had a professor's backing...” At least he hoped so.
Professor Flitwick frowned a touch. “Are you sure you want me to read something so personal?”
Ron nodded slowly, but looked conflicted. “I... Not really, but I need a second opinion and I don't want to put my brothers in the middle of this... I... I trust you not to spread things around. If it comes down to it, you can talk to my dad if she refuses to listen... He's never really home and he takes mother's word for everything but... Maybe a teacher... If you think I come off too angry or rude or... something, um, give me the letter back later and I'll re-write it?”
“That appears to be a sound idea, and I'm sorry that you have to do this. I'll make a duplicate of it as well as the letter I send along with it, so if it comes down to it I can show both to your father... I promise your letter will go no further than them without your permission.” Professor he may be, but at the moment he wanted to badly hex Molly Weasley.
“Thank you Professor.” He set the letter on the desk and looked somewhat relieved. “Thank you for the wand loan, by the way. It's fussy, but I managed to repair my sock with it this morning, so it should do till I can find some galleons to get my own...”
“Don't worry about that right now, we'll get something sorted out.” Even if he had to go get a wand for Ron himself, he'd not let the boy suffer just because his mother was a twit. He really didn't understand what had gotten into that woman. “Now, you should likely get your books and head to breakfast. I'll warn Professor McGonagall about your wand and not to push it if it's fighting you.”
Ron nodded and headed out after that dismissal, headed back to the tower and managed to get a couple of minuets to talk to Hermionie before they went down to breakfast. Though he did do a bit of a double take.
“New hairdo?” He asked as her hair was still a bit frizzy, but put back in a braid as it was, it was nowhere near as bushy and wild as it was on the train.
She blushed a bit and nodded. “Yeah, a couple of the upper years loaned me a bit of potion for my hair and offered to order me some more if my parents would pay for it. It's nice not to have to fight with it to make it look decent... Plus we have potions today... an unexpected hair in a potion would be bad.”
He could tell it was also a bit of a confidence boost for her. “Well it looks good on you...” Ron hoped that was the right thing to say at least. “Sorry about not coming to talk last night, it's been a... Well... a long couple of days.”
Hermionie nodded. “I won't pry, but if you ever want to talk?”
Ron gave her a half smile. “Thanks. Lets just say that my mother did something... pretty stupid by giving me that used wand and leave it at that for now. It's not something I feel comfortable talking about any time soon.”
“Fair enough. What do you think classes will be like today?” She changed the subject as they headed to breakfast and they chatted about different things till the first class of the day.
Classes passed calmly enough, despite a few tense moments in Transfiguration when his wand 'fought' him and made the match stick light on fire instead of changing into a needle. He just sighed, raised his hand and asked for a couple more matches so that he wouldn't keep interrupting the class while he figured out the change.
Dinner that night on the other hand, was a nightmare... and one that Ron had sadly seen coming. Spotting the incoming mail and the red envelope in the swarm of owls he sighed. “Cho? Would you pass the bowl of mashed?” Cho looked over, somewhat startled, having been in a conversation with another girl, but she did as asked. Everyone at the table cringed as the red, smoking letter hit Ron's plate, Errol fleeing as it hit, knowing what that thing meant.
“RONALD BILIUS WEASLEY! HOW Dare you... blurble, splut, hiss....” Ron just upended the whole bowl of mashed potatoes over the howler with an unhappy sigh, holding it down till the thing ran out of steam. Over at their own table, Fred and George looked shocked, then both smacked their foreheads as they realized that what Ron did had been an option when they'd gotten howlers before.
“Ten points to Ravenclaw for saving our ears.” Snape muttered as he walked past, shocking not only Ron, but also several students within hearing range.