Ron Weasley's Horrible, Awful Summer

Catark

Rating: PG
Genres: Romance
Relationships: Ron & Luna
Book: Ron & Luna, Books 1 - 5
Published: 02/07/2003
Last Updated: 06/08/2003
Status: in_progress

Its the summer after his seventh year and Ron Weasley is having a horrible, awful summer. How can he ever feel like anything but second best?

Chapters

1. Second Best

2. Green is a Nice Color On You

1. Second Best

Ron Wealsey’s Horrible, Awful Summer

Chapter 1--Second Best

Ron Weasley wasn’t having a very good summer. Sure he was now out of school, sure he had signed with the Chudley Cannons like he had always dream, oh and also the Dark Lord was defeated. Yes this was all well and good, but Ron still felt miserable. So he sat outside next to a tree with his head down, feeling sorry for himself.

A giggle in the distance interrupted Ron stewing in his gloominess. He raised his head to see Harry and Hermione walking up to him. Those two, his suppose best friends. Him, Harry Potter, the famous boy who lived, the one who saved them all, to Ron was nothing but a traitor. And her, Hermione Granger, smartest witch to ever study at hog warts, was nothing but a liar.

Ron remembered specifically telling Harry about his feelings for Hermione. Ron remembered Hermione denying that she had any feelings for Harry. But look at them now, holding hands, laughing, sneaking quick kisses, Ron felt himself go red in the face just thinking about it. He wanted nothing more than to just yell at them and run away, but instead he had to just pretend.

“Hey, Ron!” called Hermione as she spotted him.

Hermione dropped Harry’s hand and ran over to Ron.

“We’ve been looking everywhere for you! Lunch is soon and your mother is trying to round everyone up. Luna and Neville are here now. Well, aren’t you going to come?”

“I’ll be up in a while, I’m not really hungry right now,” replied Ron trying not to meet Hermione’s gaze.

“Something wrong, mate? We are going to have a game of Quidditch this afternoon, and I’d like to have the best keeper to ever come out of Hogwarts on my team,” said Harry as he came over and took Hermione’s hand again.

“Nothings wrong,” said Ron looking back down at the ground. “Quidditch sounds good. I’ll meet you in the field behind the house.”

“Sounds good,” said Harry as he pulled at Hermione’s hand.

Hermione gave a worried smile and Ron and then walked after Harry towards he house.. Ron threw a small twig after them and got up. He walked all over the grounds surrounding the burrow. He visited the old hollow tree that still stood where he and Ginny used to try and hide from George and Fred. He climbed the small grassy hill he used to roll down, and after and hour he finally found his favorite spot at the Burrow.

It was a large rock by a small stream that ran through a small grove of trees. The rock jutted a little ways above the stream, and Ron used to love to climb the rock and throw small pebbles into the stream below.

Ron climbed the rock awkwardly and sat down on the edge. He let his feet dangle off it as he picked up a small pebble.

“Lousy friends,” he mumbled as he threw the small stone. “Nothing good ever happens to me, and now I have to watch them together?” said Ron more loudly as he threw another stone.

Ron suddenly stood up to walk back to the burrow to go and play in the blasted Quidditch game. He could just see Hermione on the ground clapping for show-off Potter as he flew through the sky. Ron shook his head and turned around to go when suddenly he heard something that made him stop dead still. Some one was humming a song, but it couldn’t be the song he was thinking of, could it?

“Weasley is our king, Weasley is our king, he didn’t let the Quaffle in, Weasley is our kind,” sang Ron under his breath. It fit the tune he was hearing humming perfectly. Where was it coming from? Who could be humming that?

Ron listened carefully and found that it was coming from underneath the rock he was on. Ron walked to the edge, laid flat on his stomach and bent his head over the rock to look underneath it. In the shadows he saw two legs bent at the knees, two delicate hands holding the Quibbler, hiding the person’s face from view, and dirty blonde hair.

It was Luna Lovegood. Ron was about to lift himself back up when Luna lowered the Quibbler and looked at him.

“There was once a man who hung upside down for too long. All the blood rushed to his head, and it just popped off,” said Luna in a matter of fact way/

Ron gave her a skeptical look as he still hung upside down.

“Fine, believe what you want, but dad said it was extremely messy so if you are going to hang there for a while do you mind telling me so I can leave?”

Ron flipped down and landed on his feet. He humped over and scuttled underneath the rock to sit by Luna.

“Do you really believe everything your dad tells you?” asked Ron looking at the headline of the Quibbler that read ‘Hairy Giant spotted flying atop flying Ford Anglia near Hogsmeade.’

“Mostly, of course he’s not always right. He said that the Cannons would want a faster keeper than you. I told him he was wrong, that you’re inventiveness would make up for any flying skill you might lack.”

“Oh,” said Ron as he was not sure what to say.

The two sat in silence for a few moments as Luna flipped through her magazine.

“Why are you out here all alone,” asked Ron breaking the silence.

“Oh, well, I suppose I could ask you the same thing.”

“Do you ever answer a question normally?”

“What is your definition of normal? This is normal for me, but then again I’ve been told I’m weird before. I’ve never noticed myself.”

Ron looked Luna over as she continued flipping through her magazine. Ron hadn’t ever really noticed her, but now that he looked, he noticed Luna was actually quite pretty. Her long dirty blonde hair went well with her pale skin. Her light eyebrows sat perfectly above her large pale eyes. Rom couldn’t stop his eyes from wondering down Luna’s nice figure, from her pretty face to her nice slim legs. He wondered how he had never noticed Luna before.

“Probably because you were to focused on someone who was out of your league, Weasley,” muttered Ron under his breath.

“What?” asked Luna distractedly.

“Oh, nothing I wasn’t really talking to you,” said Ron a little harsher than he meant to.

“Talking to yourself? I do that all the time. You are your own best listener.”

“Oh, ‘ said Ron as he again wasn’t sure what to say.

“I thought you were going to play Quidditch this after noon. I heard Harry trying to talk Neville into playing. Surely you aren’t going to miss a game of Quidditch,” said Luna putting down the Quibbler.

“Oh, that. No, I suppose I do need to get going, but…” said Ron slowly.

“But, what?” asked Luna. “Wouldn’t you rather play with your friends, then hangout by some old stream?”

“Some friends,” muttered Ron.

“Hmm?” asked Luna.

“Nothing, you’re right I should be going,” said Ron, sounding very much like he was about to be lead to his death.

Ron got to his knees and crawled from underneath he rock. He stood up once he was free and bent down to wave good-bye at Luna.

“Are you going to come and watch?” Ron asked

“Perhaps in a bit,” answered Luna.

“Well, perhaps I’ll see you then,” said Ron as he straightened up to walk back to the house.

“Ron,” called Luna.

“Yes?” said Ron bending back to down to look at her.

“I was talking to Ginny earlier, and I was reminded of when she was taken down in the chamber in her second year.”

“Yea,” said Ron, wondering why Luna was talking about this.

“Well, I seem to remember that if it hadn’t been for Hermione and Harry, she probably never would have made it out of there.”

Ron cocked his head and looked at Luna strange.

“It’s just something to think about,” said Luna as she picked up the Quibbler again.

Ron stared at Luna for a moment longer, and then straightened up. As Ron walked back to the house, he kept repeating Luna’s last word’s in his head, wondering what to make of them.

Quidditch was about as much fun as Ron imagined. Hermione didn’t jump up and down and fawn over Harry like Ron imagined her doing. She just sayton the grass and read a book, but Harry kept stopping his broom and staring at Hermione on the ground with a love sick grin on his face. At one point Ron passed Harry the Quaffle when he knew Harry wasn’t looking just to see it hit Harry in the head.

After Quidditch it was time for supper and even his deep hurt and depression couldn’t suppress his hunger. So he was forced to across from Hermione and Harry. While most people wouldn’t have noticed anything at all going on between Harry and Hermione, Ron saw each time they stared at each other and he saw how they each knew exactly what the other on wanted to eat. It was almost enough for Ron to really lose his appetite, almost that is.

After dinner Harry challenged Ron to a game of chess. Ron and Harry played while Hermione and, for some reason, Luna watched. Of course Ron won like always, flattening Harry in short time.

“That was embarrassing. I should have known better,” said Harry grinning at Ron.

“Well, Potter you didn’t win the game so I suppose you will have to take the cancellation prize,” said Hermione.

“And just what would that be?’

Hermione leaned over to Harry and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

“Wanna beat me again, Ron?” asked Harry with a goofy smile on his face.

That was about all Ron could take. Without saying a word, he got up and walked out the front door, leaving Harry and Hermione looking very shocked behind him. Ron walked across the dark grounds. As he got further from the house, he took out his wand and lit it. Ron walked until he reached the rock he had visited earlier.

“I shouldn’t have left like that,” said Ron to himself. He heard a small rustle behind him. “And that would be them, coming to find and talke to me.”

Ron turned around slowly, expecting to see his supposed to best friends climbing up the rock when instead he saw the same two delicate hands he had seen earlier that day holding the Quibbler. The hands were on top of the rock trying to pull the rest of the body that was attached to it up. Ron crawled over and grabbed them, helping the owner of those small hands up.

“Thanks,” said Luna as she reached the top of the rock.

“What are you doing here?” asked Ron.

“You’re the only one who’s allowed to enjoy a night time stroll?”

“Why come here? “

“Well, I suppose I wanted to talk to you. Harry and Hermione are looking for you?”

“I know,” said Ron with a sigh.

“It wasn’t very nice they way you left,” said Luna looking up at the sky.

“I know,” said Ron with another sigh.

“You must really like her,” said Luna turning her face towards Ron.

“Who?”

“Hermione, I mean why else would you act like that.”

“Oh, her Yea, I guess I do,” said Ron lifelessly.

“You don’t sound very sure about that. I mean after the way you acted back there, I figured you must been head over heels in love with her.”

Ron didn’t say anything, he just looked down.

“I guess it’s none of my business. I’ll leave if you like.”

Ron thought about this for a moment. He had barely spoken to Luna before today, but for some reason he didn’t mind talking to her.

“No, its ok. You’re right, I thought I was in love with her, but now I’m not so sure.”

“So what was all that about?”

“Its hard to explain.”

“Lots of things are, try anyway,” said Luna still staring at Ron.

“Well, you know Harry. He’s famous. I mean he was the best Quidditch player Hogwarts had seen in who know when. He was pretty good at all his subjects. He defeated the darkest wizard ever. Everyone knows who Harry is..”

“He also lost his parents, Godfather, and grew up in a horrible home,” said Luna quietly.

“Well yea, but look at Hermione. She’s one of the most brilliant witches to ever finish Hogwarts. I mean look at all those N.E.W.T.s and O.W.L.s she got. People know her almost as well as Harry.”

“But think of all those hours she spent studying. Not to mention all the stuff she has had to endure because she’s muggle-born,” said Luna in the same calm, quiet voice.

“And then there’s me, Ron Weasley. Sure, I’m pretty good at Quidditch, but I’m not as good as Harry. And sure I was a prefect, and I passed all my subjects, but I could never be as brilliant as Hermione. Its like I’m the second best one at everything. That’s what I am , I’m always second.”

“You’re not second best to them,” said Luna still quiet and calm..

“To who?”

“All of them up there. Your family, and Harry and Hermione. You’re the only Ron they want. You are Harry and Hermione’s best friend, not second best friend.”

“It sure doesn’t feel like it. Harry and Hermione are in love now. I’ll always be second to each on of them now. I might as well change my name to Ron, the second, Weasley, said Ron loudly. Yep, that’s it just call me Sec…”

Ron’s words were suddenly cut off by the fact that Luna’s lips were now on his. Ron’s eyes grew wide as they kissed, but after the shock wore off, Ron started to notice how nice this felt. He closed his eyes and settled into the kiss, which did not last long enough for him.

Ron opened his eyes to find a smiling Luan.

“There now, you aren’t second to me. That was my first kiss and you will always be my first kiss.”

With that Luna got up and walked back to the burrow. Ron sat stunned on the rock as he heard his two best friends calling for him.

2. Green is a Nice Color On You

Ron Weasleys’ Awful, Horrible Summer

Chapter 2~Green is a Nice Color on You

A/N: Special thanks to my two wonderful and lovely betas, Nic, and Miss..Look out for their cameos!

Ron sat on the large rock and shook his head, trying to regain some sort of train of thought. Because at the moment, he was in complete shock. All he remembered was Luna and she had kissed him. Ron slowly brought his fingers to his lips and smiled, thinking of how wonderful it felt to kiss Luna. His thoughts were interrupted by Harry and Hermione’s voices becoming closer.

“Ron, Ron are you out here?” yelled Hermione through the night.

Ron jumped down off the rock and walked towards the voiced he heard in the night.

“Yea, I’m here,” replied Ron startling Hermione as he was right behind her.

“Oh, Ron, there you are. We’ve been looking all over. Harry! Harry! He’s over here, I’ve found him,” yelled Hermione to the left of her.

Harry emerged into the moonlight with his wand out and lit.

“There you are, mate. Why’d you go running off like that?”

“I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry,” said Ron sitting down on a small rock on the ground.

Hermione sat on a stump next to the rock Ron was sitting on and gave Harry a meaning look. Harry too sat down on the stump Hermione was currently sitting on.

“This is about us, isn’t it,” said Hermione getting directly to the point. “I mean Harry and I being together.”

Ron didn’t say anything as he avoided both of his best friends gaze.

“Is that really it, Ron?” asked Harry.

“It’s not what you’re thinking,” said Ron now turning to look at Harry. “I’m not in love with Hermione or anything. I mean I guess I thought I was, but I don’t think that’s it.”

“Then what is it, Ron?” asked Hermione.

“Well, I guess and I know it sounds stupid, but once again I’m second best.”

“Second best to what?” asked Harry.

“To both of you!” said Ron standing up. “I’ll always be second best to you two. In school, Quidditch, dueling, and now even to either of you, I’ll always be second best!”

“What do you mean to either of you?” asked Hermione standing up as well. “Ron you are our best friend, nothing is more important to us than you.”

“Except each other. Look, I know I’m being a great prat, but seeing you two together just reminds me everyday that I’ll never have what you two have. I’ll never be as good at school, or Quidditch, or anything as you two and now I’ll never, well, I’ll never have what you two have between you.”

“That’s just silly, Ron. You’ll meet someone, and you will have it,” said Hermione earnestly.

Ron’s mind immediately flashed back to the moonlit kiss he had just shared with Luna. He almost smiled at the thought, but instead shook his head.

Hermione opened her mouth to say something when Fred and George both came walking up to them.

“Mum set us out to look for you lot,” said Fred.

“She’s dead worried you all have run off or something,” said George.

The twins looked at the exasperated looks on Harry and Hermione’s faces to the frown on Ron’s.

“Everything is ok, isn’t it?” asked Fred.

“We weren’t interrupted anything, were we?” asked George.

Hermione opened her mouth again to say something, but Ron cut her off.

“No. we’re through, and everything is fine,” said Ron as he took off walking back towards the house.

Ron walked into the house and straight up to his room. He changed into his pajamas and went straight to bed. Later he heard Harry and Neville come up to bed, but he acted as though he was asleep. Somewhere in the night he feel asleep.

The next morning, Ron woke up late and in a bad mood. Harry and Neville were already awake and gone from the room. Ron changed into his clothes and finally after avoiding it as long as he could, went down stairs.

He sat down at the scrubbed table in the kitchen and said a muffled good morning. He looked around the table to find Harry, Fred, and George all eating a bowl of porridge.

“So who’s up to going to the shop with us today,” said Fred.

Harry shook his head and went back to eating his food. Ron almost opened his mouth when Hermione came into the kitchen and sat down next to Harry. Harry leaned over and gave her a peck on the cheek that seemed to come out of instinct. Hermione’s eyes flickered at Harry and then towards Ron. Harry muttered a slight “oh” and went back to eating his porridge.

“Yea, I think I’ll come,” said Ron, trying not to look at Harry or Hermione.

“Excellent!” exclaimed George. “What about you three?” George went on spotting Luna, Ginny, and Neville coming into the kitchen. “What do you say about coming to the shop with us today?”

Neville, who was probably thinking of all the times he had been fooled by Fred and George’s trick sweets before, shook his head immediately.

“I don’t really fancy scrubbing your floors or being your test subjects today,” said Ginny as she sat down at the table.

“Spoil sports,” said Fred smiling at his little sister. “What about you Ms. Lovegood.”

“Is it true that you are developing a sweet from the hairs of a Crumple-Horned Snorkack?” asked Luna as she sat between Fred and George.

“That would be a company secret, my dear. But there’s no telling what you might find out if you go with us,” said George placing a friendly arm around her shoulders.

Luna looked at Ron and then stated, “I suppose it could be worth a visit.”

So that morning Fred, George, Ron, and Luna all flooed to Diagon Alley. Fred and George’s shop was on the end of Diagon Alley, three doors away from Gringotts bank. It was a nice sized space that the twins had made ever young persons dream. The walls on the right were lined with shelves upon shelves of every joke treat you could imagine. Itchy Icicles, Pucker-up Pastries, Hair Color Changing Chewies, and Smelly Smoothies were all there. The walls on the left where full of Fred and George’s famous fire works, portable swamps, and lakes, as well as there new line of “special clothing”. Special in that it would result in hilarity for all except for the unfortunate soul wearing any of it.

Behind the corner where skiving snack boxes of every kind. Above them was a sign that proudly bore the words. Weasley’s Skiving Snack boxes, banned from Hogwarts since 1996.

Luna walked in and proceeded to pick up a peace of candy in one of the sale barrels that where placed around the floor.

“Weasley’s Wicked Wafers,” Luna read out loud.

Luna brought it up to her nose and sniffed it gingerly. She then brought it to her lips ready to try a bite when Ron’s hand caught her risk.

“Word of advice, Luna, you want to take everything in this store with extreme caution,” said Ron taking the wafer from her hand and pocketing it.

“Now, now Ron,” said George. “Nothing in this store is life threatening...”

Ron snorted and raised his eyebrows at Luna.

“Now we open in less than an hour. What we need you two to do is just keep an eye on the front here. If anyone has any questions just answer them the best you can,” said Fred putting on an apron and walking to the back.

“And you’ll be in charge of the money here. Don’t worry the register is charmed to ring up the right price and give out change. Fred and I have some important work to do in the back.”

Luna looked curiously around the counter, obviously looking for any signs of a Crumple-Horned Snorkack.

“You think you two can handle this?” asked George as he stopped at the door leading to the back.

“Yes,” said Ron. “Wait, what if someone you know tries something and they get angry about what happens to them?”

“Just point to the sigh over the door,” answered George as he disappeared through he door to the back.

“What sign?” asked Ron looking at Luna but she was already gazing over the door trying to read a minuscule sign that was hung there.

Luna spotted an empty barrel by the counter and she went and picked it up and took it to the door. There she turned it over and climbed on it to better look at the sign.

“Careful there,” said Ron worriedly but Luna paid him no attention.

“All who walk through these doors forfeit any right to sue, press charges, or even scream at the proprietors of this store. Any result of mishap or injury from any product is regrettable, but will be at the risk of each person who willingly takes any product.” said Luna reading the sign.

“As I told you,” said Ron walking over to help Luna down, “Be careful with everything in here.”

Most of the day passed quickly and almost pleasantly for Ron. The store was busy and it kept his mind off all that had been bothering him lately. But something happened in the afternoon that fit right in with the rest of Ron’s horrible summer.

A couple of pretty six year girls came into the store and immediately recognized Ron.

“Its Ron Weasley,” said a pretty brown haired girl to her equally pretty friend.

“Didn’t he get onto Puddlemere,” asked one of the girls to the other.

“No, Nic that was Oliver Wood.”

“Oh right, Miss, Ron was the Cannons, right?”

“I believe so.”

“Can I help you?” asked Ron smiling at the two pretty girls.

“Oh, yes actually,” said the one called Miss, blushing slightly. “We were just wondering about something, weren’t we, Nic?”

“Something? Oh yes. Umm…. these actually,” said Nic, picking up a random sweet from one of the shelves.

“Oh, that is a Weasley Tongue Sticking Sucker,” said Ron taking the sweet from Nic’s hand.

“How does that work,” asked Miss stepping closer to Ron.

“Well,” said Ron opening up the package. “You see how it feels sticker than a normal sucker?”

Both the girls nodded as they touched the surface.

“That is made of a magic material specially handcrafted by the Fred and George themselves. You see here in the middle,” said Ron as he touched the very center of the sucker. But instead of going on with his informative speech, Ron got a blast of nasty, smelly green liquid all over his face and chest.

Both girls’ eyes watered from the smell.

“I can’t take this!” said Nic waving a hand in front of her face.

“Yuck, me neither, lets leave before this smell attaches itself to us!” said Miss grabbing Nic by the hand and running from the store.

Luna made her way over with her nose slightly crinkled. She looked at Ron and then at the door.

“Its time to close. Shall I go get Fred and George?” asked Luna ignoring the fact that Ron was standing covered in green, smelly liquid.

But Fred and George made there way up to the front themselves.

“Who actually was dumb enough to touch the Stinky Suckers?” asked Fred.

“Ron,” said George simply upon seeing his youngest brother.

“I thought it was the Sticky Suckers,” said Ron trying to wipe the liquid out of his eyes.

“Awful mistake really,” said Fred.

“Made it once or twice ourselves,” said George.

“But we must be off,” said Fred.

“Yes, got a couple of dates tonight. Just make sure you clean up a little for you go. That smell isn’t good for business.”

“The locking spell is behind the counter,” said Fred as both twins apparated away.

“They could have least have helped me clean up a little,” said Ron angrily. “I can’t believe I forgot my wand this morning.”

Ron turned to try to see Luna but she was gone.

“Must have gone home, figures,” said Ron still trying to wipe the liquid out of his eyes so he could see properly.

“Here,” said Luna from behind him. Ron turned around to see a blurred Luna with towels and a bowl of water.

Carefully she wiped off the liquid from Ron’s face and then handed him the towel.

“Er, thanks,” said Ron awkwardly as he wiped up his shirt the best he could.

“I can’t believe I did that in front of those girls. I must look a real mess.”

“Actually I think green’s a nice color on you,” said Luna as she started to clean the floor.

The two worked in silence for a while and finally the store was clean and they were ready to go.

“I guess its time to go,” said Ron grumpily.

“What are you upset at now?” asked Luna.

“Just going back there to see them.”

“Oh, them. Well, you don’t have to worry about that any more,” said Luna examining the locking spell.

“What do you mean,” asked Ron studying her.

“Harry and Hermione have decided not to be “together” around you. I heard them talking last night.”

“They really said that?” asked Ron incredulously

“Yes they did. It must be nice.” said Luna walking towards the door, taking out her wand.

“What must be nice?”

“That two people would risk their happiness just to make you feel better. Here you use my wand to lock the door,” said Luna handing Ron her wand and opening the door.

Ron followed her out and locked the door after he shut it as he thought to himself. “Are they really risking their happiness for me?”