Awakening the Dragon
Chapter 3
The burrow was unnaturally quiet the morning of Harry's disappearance. Ron found himself alone with just Ginny after his mother had received an emergency correspondence from Fawkes while making breakfast. Moments later with a cry of "Arthur!" Molly Arthur, Fred, George, and Bill all apparated away from the kitchen leaving a thoroughly confused and worried Ron and Ginny to fend for themselves.
"What the bloody hell is going on?" Ron stared at his sister across the table as she quietly nibbled on a slice of toast.
Looking up she met her brothers gave and gave him a look that clearly asked if he was stupid. "If Dumbledore has called everyone in it's pretty much a guaranteed thing it involves Harry."
Suddenly a tapping at the window drew their attention across the room to the snow owl that was perched on the sill. "Hedwig!" Ron scrambled out of his chair so quick it fell over backwards clattering onto the floor in his haste. He yanked the window open and the owl hopped into the kitchen and extended its foot with the letter attached.
Ron quickly untied the parchment and unrolled the letter while Ginny who had made her way over to find out what was going on fed Hedwig a slice of her toast. The Owl hooted in thanks and spread it's wings before taking off in flight to hunt.
**********
*Hey Ron.
Before you read this I want to apologise to both you and Ginny for my actions and my attitude last year, lets face it mate I was a shitty friend and neither of you deserved that. I'm sorry that what I am about to tell you is in a letter, that I couldn't come there in person to explain why I'm going to do what I intend to do. But coming to the Burrow is too risky and Dumbledore or any of your family who are order members could catch me, and then my journey would be over before it begins.
Everything starts with the prophecy Ron, as I plan to take some drastic measures I can at least tell you the gist of it. It's simple, it's him or me, neither can live while the other survives Ron, and until I finally put him in the ground permanently, my life will never be my own. Dumbledore knew the prophecy and withheld it from me till it was to late. Yet even after all his words of regret over his actions and the death of Sirius I find myself still in the same situation. What I need to learn I can't be taught at Hogwarts so I am finally taking my life in my own hands and will do this my way.
I don't know how long this will take me Ron, I don't know where it will take me either but I want you to understand something important…I love you, I love Ginny, I love your family.
I can imagine your face now as I write this and I don't love you like that you prat. You are my brother, Ginny is my sister, you taught me so much, Hagrid may have been my first friend Ron, but you are family, you made my transition to the wizarding world so easy. I will always thank you for that and I hope that when I do come back, you my brother, will be one of the first to welcome me home
I need one last favour, look after Hedwig till I come home
Love
Harry Potter
(Aka The boy who lived, or in his own opinion a Weasely without the red hair)
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Tears were streaming down Ginny's face while Ron tried desperately to swallow the lump forming in his throat, absentmindedly Ron set the letter down and pulled his sister into a hug where she proceeded to sob quietly into his chest. That was how their parents found them almost two hours later when they apparated back to the burrow.
Molly stared at her children with quiet apprehension. "You know about Harry?" With Ron's quiet nod of affirmation she sighed feeling the weight of her years on her shoulders. "You had best sit down both of you there's a lot to talk about."
Guiding his sister to the table he sat her down before taking the seat next to her. "He sent Hedwig, she arrived after you left with a letter. What happened mum?"
Molly sighed. "After a confrontation with his uncle it seems Harry lost complete control of his emotions and his magic and proceeded to return some of the Dursely's treatment and used magic to terrify them. He then went to the Grangers to say goodbye to Hermione, then went to Diagon Alley where it seems someone informed You Know Who that Harry was alone and unprotected." Arthur who stood at her back rested his hand on her shoulder giving it a gentle squeeze.
"Mum what happened, is Harry alright?" Ron voice held a tinge of panic as he studied his mother and father across the table while his sister dissolved into sobs once more.
Molly rose from her seat and pulled Ginny into her arms rocking her little girl back and forth. "As far as we know he's fine Ron, You Know Who took the opportunity to get Harry but Dumbledore arrived first, it wasn't a good thing though. Whatever Albus said inflamed the situation and Harry lashed out at both of them, supposedly revealed the prophecy to You Know Who and then forced him to retreat."
"So Harry's safe, where is he is he, at number 12, when can we go see him?"
Molly shook her head. "I'm sorry Ron, but Harry still managed to slip away."
Ron sighed with relief. "At least he's alive mum, that's what really counts." He frowned at the expression that was currently on her face. "What is it, there's something else isn't there?"
Arthur sighed as he watched his wife bite her bottom lip nervously unsure how to break the news to their son. "It's about Hermione, Ron, she's missing as well, according to Professor Dumbledore she was with Harry when he slipped away."
Ron sat there in stunned silence before it finally registered what they had just told him, Hermione, his Hermione had run away with Harry. Slowly the colour rose in his face till it almost matched his hair and he stood with a slow deliberateness that was a sure sign that his explosive temper was ready to go off like a filibuster firework.
Ginny looked up from her mother's lap at her brother and shook her head. "Ron?"
Her simple unspoken question was enough and Ron exploded. "JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" He stormed out the back door slamming it so hard the window cracked. Everyone in the kitchen jumped and Ginny, her face turning red in the classic Weasely manner when they were about to lose their temper stood and headed after him.
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Ron was fuming as he stalked down the garden path towards his place, as he liked to call it, it was where he came when he felt the burden of such a large family and wanted to be alone. It was nothing special really, a hollow almost, in the woods that were at the edge of the Weasely's garden where an old fossilised tree stump could be found. Ron scowled as he dropped down onto it and rested his elbows on his knees and his chin propped in his hands.
"What crawled up your arse and died?"
Ron snorted with anger and glared at his younger sister. "Bugger off Ginny."
Ginny glared at him as she moved into view, her arms folded across her chest, her eyes red and puffy from crying but looking defiant. "This because Hermione went with him?"
"Why does he get everything?" He ranted his face bright red with anger. "She was mine, he knew that, I made it clear, I got her perfume, I was nice while he was being an ass but nooo Harry Bloody Potter crooks his finger and she goes running!"
The crack her hand made when it struck his cheek filled the woods. "You jealous prat." Ginny hissed at him her hand smarting from striking his cheek so hard. "This isn't about you Ron. You sit there yelling about how Hermione was yours, she's not a thing Ron!" She gave him her best death glare watching with satisfaction as he flinched. "And you know something, she was never yours…EVER."
Ron opened his mouth to give an angry retort but was cut off as she spoke over the top of him driving each word home like a nail in a coffin. "You want to know why I gave up on Harry, why I'm over him?" Her eyes watered as tears threatened to fall. "Because I am not her, it's always Hermione he turns to Ron, especially last year, when he turned away from all of us he still listened to her, he may have ignored her advice at times but he still LISTENED!" She shook her head sadly. "I can't compete with that Ron and to be honest neither could you. At times you treat her only a little better than Malfoy does, you don't listen to her, Harry does, because deep inside Harry knows what lies at her heart." She shook her head at his stupid expression. "It's a need to belong Ron, inside her is the same little scared eleven year old who tried to impress everyone with how clever she was, Harry may not know this but he understands it and so he makes her feel like she belongs." She sighed as she sat on the stump beside her brother and draped an arm around his waist. "And Harry, Harry needs someone who cares about him unconditionally, he needs someone who cares cause he's Harry and not the Bloody Boy Who Lived as you so succinctly put it, and lets be honest here Ron, the only person who does that is Hermione."
"That's a bloody lie!" Ron snarled throwing her arm off and glaring at her but he wilted under her arch look.
"Is it, then why when you heard she left with him did you automatically assume it's cause he's the boy who lived Ron?" She stood brushing the leaves from her jeans and started to walk back to the burrow before she stopped to say one final thing. "Are you really their friend Ron, have a long hard think about it and remember what the letter said Ron, me, I'm going to wait for BOTH my brothers to come home." With that she vanished out of sight leaving a very agitated and confused Ron Weasely sitting on his tree stump to sort out his feelings.
TBC…
AN: Yes this is a Ron chapter and officially my first ever where he's not a Villain, just don't expect many, as a character I don't like him much and find writing him any other way except for a jealous prat difficult…anyway
Yours Truly
The Evil known as Kai Lun Mau