Moments of Love

(Author's note: We will return to pregnancy stuff in the next chapter -I just love writing Rita so much that I had to do this chapter! :-) Thank you all for the lovely comments and feedback, you're the best!)

Chapter 12: Wizard of the Month

"Dear Hermione,
here is the WoTM article of your darling husband, Reynard. As you can see, I've really pressed the point and created a fabulous, deep character portrait, which hopefully will satisfy even your dignified taste.
Kindly,
Rita Skeeter"

WIZARD OF THE MONTH: Ron Weasley
by Rita Skeeter

We all know the Weasleys. Red-haired, loud, and plenty to be had of them. But in the recent decades, one has risen to fame quite unlike the others.
Sidekick of the famous pair Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley tagged our brave Boy-Who-Lived on almost all of his adventures. Noted for his brazen jokes and great appetite for food, he is a man who has always wanted more. His only major skill being chess has no doubt left him in the shadow of more competent wizards and witches, but still, he has his friends and admirers.

Ronald Bilius Weasley was born on March 1st, 1980 to the already numerous family of Molly and Arthur Weasley, members of the original Order of the Phoenix. Founded by the late Albus Dumbledore, the group fought Voldemort vigorously, if somewhat unsuccessfully, in their time. Harry Potter's parents, Lily and James Potter, were also part of the group, but there are no reports of friendship between the two couples. This, however, is understandable, as the Potters were well off, and it was no doubt hard for the poor parents of little Ronald to get chummy with the glam couple. Ronald's family was always short of money, and little "Ronniekins" grew up wearing hand-me-downs from his countless older siblings, which no doubt planted in him the hunger for contacts and success that has largely marked his life.

Be that as it may, a miracle took place when young Ronald spied the famous Harry Potter in a compartment of the Hogwarts Express on that fateful day of September 1st, 1991. No doubt eager to share in some of Harry's glory, Ronald quickly set to become friends with the Boy-Who-Lived. Indeed, he guarded his friendship with Harry Potter so jealously that other children bowed out of his way (including such notable names as Draco Malfoy), no doubt recognising that this carrot-top was truly determined to hop upwards on the social ladder. After Ronald had secured Harry Potter's friendship, the clever Hermione Granger was accepted into the boys' company. What some call the Golden Trio was thus born. Armed with Harry's bravery, Hermione's intelligence, and Ronald's jokes, the children faced danger after another.

Time passed on, and Ronald faced what every child inevitably must: the passage from childhood to adulthood, although for him it took slightly longer than normally. His teenage years were tumultuous and contained many tussles with his friends, but time after time, he charmed them to forgive him. Keen to find some fame, Ronald also tried his hands at Quidditch, but his road was bumpy, and his friends had to come to his rescue more than once. Outside the unlucky Quidditch pitch, school was never Ronald's strong point, but he managed to scrape seven OWLs, the same amount as his famous friend Harry Potter. No doubt delighted by this uncommon stroke of luck, he continued on at Hogwarts, following Harry and Hermione in their plight and trying to keep up with the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

Year 1997 saw the dreadful return of Voldemort to power, and again Ronald fought his way to the centre of things. Together with Harry and Hermione, he set out to a dangerous camping trip across England, although eventually growing weary and abandoning his friends, who continued undaunted in their joint vision of bringing Voldemort down. However, after a comfortable rest, Ronald was ready to find his friends again and continue on the path to glory. Details are unknown, but it is believed that he destroyed one of Voldemort's Horcruxes (heavily aided by Harry Potter). He also followed his friends to the Battle of Hogwarts, but no noteworthy successes have been recorded for him there.

After Voldemort's downfall, Ronald joined the Auror department under the supervision of Harry Potter, and later on became co-owner of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, a joke shop of his twin brothers, one of who died in the Battle of Hogwarts. Many believed this to be his most natural profession, taking into account his aptitude to comic remarks, yet he still continued as an Auror as well. Some years later, he married Harry Potter's best friend Hermione Granger in a secretive winter wedding, and the couple is expecting their first child this autumn.

While far from the popularity and cleverness of his wife and Harry Potter, the Ronald Weasley of today is essentially still the same gauche red-haired boy with plenty of jokes to share and a hunger for better prospects in life. --x--x--

"Dear Rita,
here is the WoTM article with my corrections. Kindly do not make any changes to it; simply print it as-is.
Regards,
Hermione Weasley
PS. Viktor Krum is dining with us tonight. He is looking forward to reading the article."

WIZARD OF THE MONTH: Ron Weasley
by Rita Skeeter

We all know the Weasleys. Red-haired, warm, and loving, this large family encompasses several generations. But in the recent decades, one has risen to fame quite unlike the others.
Best friend of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley followed our brave Boy-Who-Lived on all of his adventures. Noted for his bravery and loyalty, he is a man who has always been there for his friends, whether it was standing up for them in front of a murderer or facing his worst fears to save them. A genius in chess, he is known to have beaten even the best of players, including the famous Viktor Krum. No wonder he has plenty of friends and admirers.

Ronald Bilius Weasley was born on March 1st, 1980 to the already numerous family of Molly and Arthur Weasley, members of the original Order of the Phoenix. Founded by the late Albus Dumbledore, the group fought Voldemort vigorously in their time, many sacrificing their lives for the cause. Harry Potter's parents, Lily and James Potter, were also part of the group, and the couples no doubt hoped that one day their children would be friends, too. Ron's parents worked hard for the well-being of their family, Arthur in the Ministry of Magic and Molly as a homemaker, and even today, their home is always open to the numerous children, spouses, and friends of their children.

On September 1st, 1991, Ron boarded the Hogwarts Express for the first time and met a black-haired boy with a scar like a bolt of lightning. Harry Potter and Ron quickly became best friends, and the boys have been inseparable ever since. After they courageously saved one of their fellow students from a troll, they befriended said student, Hermione Granger, who bought a fresh breeze of discipline to the boys' sometimes wild ways. Harry, who was being eagerly courted as a friend by many children due to his fame, always stayed true to his friends and never cared about their family status or wealth. Armed with Harry's determination and courage, Ron's loyalty and bravery, and Hermione's intelligence and common sense, the children faced danger after another.

Time passed on, and teenage brought storms into the lives of Ron and his friends. Yet they stuck together through thick and thin, including first crushes, first break-ups, and first kisses, and consequently grew even closer to one another. A lifelong Quidditch fan, Ron joined the Gryffindor Quidditch team in his fifth year, and after a bumpy start, he ended up seeing great victories for his team. Outside the Quidditch pitch, Ron got seven OWLs, the same amount as Harry, and the boys even chose the same subjects for their sixth year at Hogwarts. Yet life was not only Quidditch and school for Ron: being the best friend of Harry Potter had the unfortunate effect of also being in close proximity of Voldemort, who was set on killing Harry.

Year 1997 saw the dreadful return of Voldemort to power, and determined to stay with Harry, Ron sacrificed his last school year to accompany Harry on his quest to destroy Voldemort. Harry, Ron, and Hermione thus set out to a dangerous camping trip across England to find Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes. The task was daunting and tried everybody's nerves, resulting in tension and even a short rift between the friends, yet victory shone in the end. On a cold, dark night, Ron triumphantly destroyed one of Voldemort's Horcruxes. He also followed his friends to the Battle of Hogwarts, where he was instrumental in the destruction of another Horcrux, but also had to witness the horrifying death of one of his brothers. With incredible strength of mind, he kept going and finally saw Harry Potter conquer the Darkest Wizard of all time.

After Voldemort's downfall, Ron joined the Auror department with Harry, and later on became co-owner of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, a joke shop of his twin brothers, one of who sadly died in the Battle of Hogwarts. A naturally witty and funny man, he has helped bring WWW new levels of success, and the shop has indeed remained highly popular. Some years later, he married his other best friend Hermione Granger in a beautiful winter wedding, and the couple is happily expecting their first child this autumn.

Ron Weasley today is the perfect example of that you don't have to be born into wealth, success, or fame to end up a success. It is our choices who determine who we are.