A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol: Weasley Style

    Ron Weasley, fifth year Gryffindor, was sitting in the Gryffindor Common Room, watching the snowfall. It was Christmas Eve.

    He heard the portrait door swing open. He looked to see who had just come in. It was Hermione, hair slightly messed up. She was beautiful. His stomach turned into a pretzel, just as it had been doing for the last five years whenever he saw her. "Hey Mione," Ron said as she was about to go up the dormitory steps.

    "Oh, hello Ron," Hermione said, walking towards him and sitting down on the couch next to Ron. "I didn't see you there. I'm completely exhausted." She rested her head on his shoulder.

    "What? Were you trying to do?" Ron smiled. ""Trying to get house elves fair wages again?" Ron joked.

    Hermione swatted him playfully.

    There were a few moments of silence when Ron realized that Hermione had fallen asleep. Ron gently picked her up off of the sofa. He brought her up to the fifth year girls' dormitory, and lied her down on her bed. (Actually, it could've been Parvati or Lavender's bed for all he knew.)

    Ron decided not to wait up for Harry, who had detention with Filch. Something about putting Mrs. Norris in Moaning Myrtle's toilet.

    Ron turned his attention back to Hermione. A piece of hair had fallen on her face. Ron reached over and brushed it aside.

    Then, the dormitory door swung open. Parvati and Lavender came in, "What are you doing here?" Parvati asked.

    "Ohhh!" Lavender had spotted Hermione.

    Ron rolled his eyes and headed towards his own dormitory. He lie down on his bed and fell asleep.

    Then, suddenly, he woke up. He saw a misty figure on the other side of the room. "Fred?" Ron asked. "Why are you a ghost?"

    "Spirit," Fred corrected.

    "Oh…my bad…spirit," Ron laughed. "Anyways, what's with the costume and misty voice? You remind me of Trelawney," Ron asked as he got up and went over to Fred.

    Fred continued, "I am the spirit of…your…ummm…memories of love past…" Fred tried to keep a straight face as he extended his hand and continued, "Take my hand."

    "Ugh!" Ron exclaimed. "I don't want to take your hand!"

    "Take my bloody hand!" Fred was getting annoyed and frustrated.

    "Tell me what you are doing in my dorm, pretending to be a spirit," Ron said.

    "Ron!" Fred bellowed.

    "Shhh!" Ron shushed him. "You'll wake them up!"

    "They can't see or hear me," Fred explained. Then, he continued, "You love Hermione."

    "I do not!" Ron yelled.

    "Liar…" Fred said under his breath.

    "Do not!"

    "Do to!"

    "Do not!"

    "This could go on for hours, but I am here to show you that you do love Hermione Take my hand." Fred extended his hand and Ron took it.

    Ron felt like he had just grabbed a portkey. He looked around to find himself on the Quidditch field. He saw a younger version of himself, standing face to face with Malfoy. He heard Malfoy yell, "Mudblood!" He watched his younger self scream and run towards Malfoy. He saw his face that was full of rage.

    "Awww," Fred pretended to wipe a tear from his face.

    "What?" Ron looked at Fred.

    "You were willing to barf up slugs so you could defend Hermione! How sweet…" Fred burst into laughter.

    After Fred had done his laughing, Ron took his hand again. He found himself in Lockhart's class. He saw the younger version of him and Harry. Harry just passed him a note. 'Let's do it tonight.' Is what it said. His younger version looked at Hermione's empty chair and nodded.

    This time, he found himself in the hospital wing, next to a petrified Hermione. He looked at the younger version of himself who was crying. He remembered that visit. He went up there alone, without Harry. He sat by Hermione's bed and looked up at the sky. "Why her?" he asked the empty room. "Why couldn't it have been me? Why did you take her?" he was near tears by now. Then, got up and left.

    Ron looked at Fred who was, surprisingly, not laughing. He took Fred's hand again and saw himself talking to Hermione. Then, Ron realized what they were talking about. Scabbers and how Crookshanks had supposedly eaten Scabbers. Then, he saw the younger version of Hermione throw her hands around his neck and as he awkwardly patted her on the top of the head.

    "You enjoyed that didn't you!" Fred yelled.

    "Yes," Ron admitted.

    "Wow, George owes me a galleleon. He said you would never admit to it!" Fred smirked.

    He took Fred's hand again and found himself in the Gryffindor Common Room. He heard Hermione yell, "Next time there is a ball, ask me because you want to go with me and not as a last resort!"

    "I can't believe you went with Krum!" Ron yelled back.

    Ron cringed, he remembered that fight like it was only yesterday.

    "Someone a little jealous there?" Fred teased.

    Ron closed his eyes to find himself back in his dormitory bed. He looked up to see another misty figure. He got up and crossed the room, this time, it was George. "George? Oh no…not you too!" He sighed.

    "I am the spirit of your future with Hermione," George extended his hand.

    "The spirit of what?" Ron asked, confused.

    "You stupid prat! I am going to show you what will your life be like if you tell Hermione you loooooove her!" George tried to hold in a laugh. "Awww, our baby is all grown up and in love!" George pinched Ron's cheeks like he was three years old. "Now…" George continued with a straight face. "Take my…"

    "Yeah, yeah. I know the drill," Ron sighed as he took George's hand. He felt the same portkey grab as he found himself out in the middle of a yard. "Where are we?" Ron said as he eyed decent-sized house that stood in front of him.    

    "Your house," George said simply. "Let's go in, shall we?"

    The two of them went through the front door and immediately, Ron felt at home. He looked around, they were in a small kitchen and he could see through the door was a dining room. He saw two little kids flying on broomsticks. He saw an older version of Hermione come through the door, laughing at the two kids. The girl was about seven and the boy looked about ten.

    He saw an older version of himself come through the door, and kiss Hermione's forehead, just as he had imagined himself doing over and over in his head.

"Wow," Ron breathed, looking around the kitchen, which was filled with pictures of himself, and Hermione on their wedding day, and pictures of their two kids. Ron looked around the house. He went into the dining room, living room, and back to the kitchen. He saw a staircase leading up from the kitchen. He went up the staircase and to the right was a door. He opened it to find the older version of himself saying, "Fred and George have a new kind of sweet for their joke shop. They're bringing it over tonight, Harry, Parvati, and Kayla are coming over tonight too."

    "Okay, I thought he and Parvati were taking Kayla to Diagon Alley today to buy her school supplies since she is going to Hogwarts in a few months," Hermione said from the closet. She was laying Ron's clothes out for the next day.

    "No, that's next week. Lavender and Seamus coming over too, they're bringing Alexandria." Ron replied, emptying his briefcase.

    "I thought Alexandria went to a Muggle week-long camp this week," Hermione asked.

    "No, she decided not to. Oh, by the way, we're all going to Diagon Alley with Harry and Parvati. I want to show Michael and Robin Diagon Alley," Ron smiled.

The younger-version of Ron looked to see what the papers that the older-version of himself was sorting out on the bed and saw that he was an Auror, along with Harry.

He closed the bedroom door and turned around. Across the hallway, he saw another room with a sign that said:

~*Robin's Room*~

He peaked inside to see her serving pretend tea to her dolls and carrying on conversations with them. Ron's heart melted. She had Hermione's hair and eyes. The resemblance was uncanny. Robin, at seven, looked exactly like the pictures he had seen of the real Hermione when she was seven. 'Another Head Girl in the family. I wonder if she'll study and be exactly like Hermione.'

Ron went down the hall and peaked inside the next room. He saw his son, Michael playing with his Quidditch model. He saw, above his med, a Chudley Cannon's poster, that he recognized as his own. His son had the famous Weasley hair, dark brown eyes, and had the famous Weasley sweater on, compliments of Ron's mother.

He turned around to see the older-version of himself and Hermione walking down the stairs and into the kitchen. He followed. He saw an older looking Harry, Parvati, Lavender, and Seamus standing there. Also, Harry and Parvati's daughter, Kayla and Lavender and Seamus' daughter, Alexandria.

They all went into the dining room. He followed them in, just in time to hear Hermione announce, "I'm pregnant!" The room exploded with cheers. Then, Ron felt a tapping on his shoulder. He turned around and saw George. George held out his hand and Ron took it against his will. He had one last glimpse of the black and white tiled kitchen and of himself kissing Hermione's forehead and then, he found himself in his dormitory.

He went and lied down on his bed and suddenly; another white, misty figure came. He said, "Who is it this time? Charlie? Bill?"

"Nope, Harry," the misty figure said.

"What are you the spirit of?" Ron asked.

"What your life will be like if you don't tell Hermione you love her," Harry said regretfully.

Suddenly, Ron knew he didn't want do see this. He had never imagined his life without Hermione, and he didn't want to. Harry took his hand and he (Ron) felt the same portkey affect and then, they landed in the yard of this huge mansion. "Is this where I would live?" he asked Harry.

"Yes," Harry said solemnly.

Ron immediately started looking around for any sign of life, because it looked deserted. He looked around for Robin and Michael and then, heard Harry say. "You won't find Robin and Michael here. This is if you never tell Hermione you love her. Therefore, you and her never got married, means no Robin or Michael."

Ron felt stupid, he went through the great oak doors to find a house at least six times bigger than the one he saw before, with Hermione, Robin, and Michael. He saw two butlers, three housekeepers, two chauffeurs, four cooks, and the older version of himself, yelling at them. "You! Clean the sixth and fifth floors. You! Clean the fourth and third floors! You! Clean the first and second!"

Then, he turned to the two butlers and said, "Stay by the doors! Be ready to greet her when she comes."

He turned to the four cooks and said, "Go! Start cooking! I want a four-course meal! Lots of food!"

Then, everyone scattered in different directions. The present-day Ron was astonished to find that he treated those people that way. The sound of his voice was so different, harsh even. Nothing like his present voice now. How could he say things like that to those people? Then, he heard a doorbell ring. One of the butlers opened it and said, "Master Ronald is in the drawing room."

"Uhhh…thanks?" said the person behind the door. It sounded like a woman.

"Mummy! I want to draw!" said a little boy's voice.

"Go in, Viktor," said a gruff voice.

The three people walked in. Ron's jaw dropped. There she stood, Hermione Granger. Her hair was sleek and shiny, her face had matured, but he could still see traces of the eleven-year-old Hermione he knew and loved. Then, he saw Viktor Krum and a little boy come in behind her. Did they call the boy, Viktor? As in Viktor Krum!? Yep, there was no mistaking those huge eyebrows, and huge nose. Ron was in utter disbelief, he felt so stupid, Viktor! He couldn't believe that he ever wanted that git's autograph. Then, he saw the older-version of himself come out from a room to the left. He saw Hermione, then Viktor and Viktor Jr. He nearly fell back, first by Hermione's beauty, then that she was accompanied by Viktor and Viktor Jr.

"Ron!" said the older Hermione as she came towards him and hugged him tightly. "How are you? It's been way too long!"

"Mione!" he said in a strangled tone.

"Hello, Ronald Veesley," he heard Krum, with his heavy Bulgarian accent.

"Just call him Ron, sweetie!" Hermione cried. She was apparently overjoyed in seeing Ron. "Where's Harry? I thought he was coming."

"He couldn't come," the older Ron said, not taking his eyes off of Hermione, who was picking up Viktor Jr. from the floor and hugging him closely.

"Oh, well," Hermione looked disappointed.

"Well, shall we eat?" Ron asked, showing them to an immense dining room with a great chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

After they had eaten, Viktor had gone to the kitchen to say how much he enjoyed the food, and Viktor Jr. was amusing himself by drawing. Ron pulled Hermione aside. "Hermione? I have something I need to tell you. It's very important."

"What is it, Ron? Are you okay?" Hermione asked in a concerned tone.

"I love you, Hermione," Ron said quietly.

    "I love you too," she said.

    "No, you don't understand, Hermione. I love you love you," Ron explained.

    "W-What?" Hermione sputtered.

    "I've loved you since our first year," Ron told her.

    "I loved you at Hogwarts, but when I met Viktor…" Hermione trailed off. "Why didn't you tell me at Hogwarts? Maybe things could've been different. But, I don't love you anymore. I love Viktor."

    Ron took a deep breath and bolted up the stairs, leaving a very worried Hermione behind.

    The present-day Ron was in utter shock. He couldn't let that happen. Hermione Krum? Ugh! He turned back to the spirit-thing Harry and asked, "Is this all definite?"

    Harry nodded his head "Yes." He whispered.

    "I don't want to see anymore," Ron said taking Harry's hand, and feeling the portkey-affect. He landed in his bed. He waited there for a few moments, half expecting to see another spirit thing. After he was sure he wasn't, after all, the guy in the Muggle story 'A Christmas Carol' Sckooge, or whatever his name was only saw three.

    He got up and headed down to the dormitory. Surprisingly, he found Hermione sitting there in her usual seat, reading. (Now, why didn't that surprise any of you?) "Happy Christmas, Ron," she smiled.

    "Happy Christmas, Mione," he tried picturing her with Krum. He couldn't. "What time is it?"

    "A bit after four," she said, closing her book and sat on the couch where Ron was sitting.

    "Mione?" he said hesitantly. 'It's now or never, Weasley.'

    "Hmm?" she answered.

    "I l-lo-love you," he said, closing his eyes tightly and silently praying that she wouldn't laugh. He peaked out of one eye to find her sitting on the chair opposite of him, smiling mischievously. "What?" he asked.

    "I never thought you loved me back," she smiled as she went back to the couch and put her head on his shoulder. "Accio blanket," she muttered.

    Ron felt Hermione putting the blanket over the two of them. He put his arm around her shoulders as they looked into eachother's eyes as their lips met.

    At the top of the stairs, Harry, Fred, and George stood there, snickering. "That was a good plan, George," Harry said.

    "Yeah, that dream charm really worked!" Fred whispered excitedly.

    "How did you find out that you could control their dreams?" Harry asked.

    "Something I don't plan to tell anyone any time soon," George smiled.