Redemption

Chapter 1--Alone in an Alternate Universe

Ron Weasley woke up without a clue where he was. Of course he was lying next to a naked woman who was sound asleep. He looked at her face. She was young, not like the last one who could have been his mother's age. He rubbed his face, trying to get that rotten feeling out of his skull. His mouth tasted like gin and cigarettes. The girl next to him rolled over on her back, opened her mouth and began to snore.

He got up quietly. He looked around for his trousers and stepped on an empty gin bottle that clanged loudly as he kicked it out of the way. He looked around for his wand, too, but realized he didn't have one. He was no longer in the magical world.

He stood in the middle of the flat stark naked. He needed to find his trousers and the rest of his clothes before the girl woke up and started to ask questions. He moved a stack of pillows and found one of his boots and his shorts. He pulled on his underwear and went over the flat looking for the boot's mate.

"Fuck!" he said under his breath. "Where're my fucking clothes?"

The girl stirred. She blinked a couple of times and sat up in the bed. She ran her fingers through her hair and smiled timidly at him.

"Hi," she said shyly. She pulled the covers up over her breasts.

"Hi," he answered. He smiled at her. "I didn't mean to wake you up. I was looking for my clothes."

"Oh!" She looked around, and smiled. "I think we started down stairs," she said, staring to get up.

"It's okay," Ron said. "Don't move." This was the awkward part. He remembered nothing of the night before, but that was no reason to be impolite. He owed her a good morning kiss at the very least. He walked over to the bed and leaned over and kissed her. She threw her arms around him and kissed him back.

"Good morning," she said, clearly eager for something more.

Ron sighed. What the hell, he thought. He sat down next to her and began kissing her. He threw the blanket off her and lay on top of her, kissing her, deepening the kiss until her response matched his.

"Condom," she said breathlessly. It was a statement, not a question. Had he been in his world that would not have been a concern, but he couldn't very well magic a condom out of thin air, could he?

"Sorry, baby," he said thickly and pulled away. "Fresh out."

She looked disappointed and for a second he thought she'd tell him not to worry about it, but she kissed him and pushed him away. "Shit," she said and sighed heavily. "Too bad."

She got up and walked into her bathroom while he made it downstairs. There they were, his clothes and the other boot, strung in a path leading up to the staircase. He sat down on the last stair and finished getting dressed.

Once he got his boots on, he looked around the apartment for a clue to what the girl's name was. He would never see her again, but it would be nice to at least know her name. Her purse was sitting on the kitchen table so he pulled out her wallet. Her name was Gillian Morgan. He saw the money stuffed into her wallet and he pulled out several bills and stuffed them into his trouser pocket. He heard a noise upstairs and quickly put the wallet back into her purse.

He was standing over the sink, looking out the window when she finally came downstairs. She was wearing a short kimono style robe. She was putting her hair up into a knot and had a lit cigarette in her mouth. Ron took the cigarette out from between her lips, kissed her and took a long draw on the cigarette. He inhaled and put he cigarette back between her lips.

"Do you want breakfast?" Gillian asked, grabbing the coffee pot and filling it with water.

"Nah, that's all right. I have to get going anyway. Thanks for last night," he said.

She smiled seductively at him. "My pleasure," she said. Her smile faded. "Will I see you again?" she asked, not certain of the answer.

"Yeah sure," he promised vaguely.

"I wish you had that rubber," she said grinding out her cigarette.

"Me, too," he grinned. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close and kissed her. "Bye," he said, turning her loose.

"Bye," she repeated and watched as he walked out the front door.

He needed to get something to eat and thanks to Gillian's unwitting generosity, he now had money for breakfast and a pack of cigarettes. He stood at the base of Gillian's front stoop trying to decide which way to go. He wasn't familiar with this area of town. Hell, he wasn't familiar with any of the city, but he managed to find his way into night clubs where he was very handy at getting free drinks and picking up girls.

He walked into a convenience store and bought a container of orange juice and a pack of cigarettes and paid with ten quid. He drank the orange juice out of the container and it left a nasty taste in his mouth. He needed a toothbrush. He opened the pack of cigarettes and looked in his pocket for a match. He found the matchbook and inside the cover, there was a name and number written on it. He looked at the girlish scrawl, but didn't recognize the name or the number. He turned the matchbook over and looked at the logo on the front. He had picked the matchbook up from a nightclub somewhere. The name on the matchbook was The Magic Club. He laughed. How ironic.

He had walked away from his parents' house after a loud argument with his father and brother Bill. Ronald was screwing up his life and he needed to get focused.

Well, that was exactly what he was doing now. He walked away from his family, his friends and the wizarding world. His best friends Harry and Hermione tried to talk some sense into him, but he ignored them. Fuck them all, he told them. The last sound he heard from the Burrow was his mother crying.

That was over two years ago and he hadn't heard a word from his family since. He disappeared into the non-magical community and he spent the first year and a half drunk. He was totally unprepared for life without magic, but he started to adapt. He knew where to get free meals and if he stayed clean, he could pick up women who were always willing to give him a place to live until he fucked that up.

He was "finding" himself. But it wasn't working out very well. He was worse off than before but he thought it was too late for him to go home again. He'd burnt too many bridges.

Ronald went past a newsstand and bought a paper. He knew there was a section in the paper that advertised jobs. He couldn't do too much, but he was strong. He seemed to be hungry all the time and thought about working in a restaurant. He'd seen enough servers to figure out that he could wait tables. He possessed the famous Weasley charm, and he reckoned he'd be able to make enough money to live and maybe they'd even feed him. Besides if he worked at the right restaurants, the high end ones, he could meet wealthy older women who seemed to love to give him money.

Ron circled a bunch of restaurants he knew that were upscale. He was good looking and young, he shouldn't have any problem getting the job he wanted.

And it wasn't. He got a job offer to start that evening at the first restaurant he went to. They even supplied the uniforms. The problem was he didn't have any papers to prove he was legal. He spoke with the right accent, but still he had to prove he was legal to work. He promised to show the owners his papers as soon as possible. Maybe they'd forget about it, once he proved himself to be invaluable.

He counted his money and figured out he had enough to get a room for the day. He needed a shower and a place to change clothes. He wasn't going to be homeless any longer. Maybe his life was turning around. This was the first time in two years when he wanted to do something other than drink and fuck.

Having found a room close to the restaurant, he took a good hard look at himself in the mirror. He still had the same haircut since he was 11 years old. A kind of bowler cut. He took some hair crème that he'd bought along with a hair brush and a new toothbrush, and smoothed his hair back. He looked more mature and he liked it. Now he looked like a grown-up. What would Hermione think of him now?

Shit, he thought. Why did he think about her after all this time? He was sure she'd probably gotten married by now. He left her without any hope of returning and she must have gone on with her life. Maybe she'd married Harry. He felt a strange twinge. Not Harry, he thought. Maybe that arse Viktor Krum she was so hot after.

"My life's a fucking mess!" he yelled at his image in the mirror. He expected his reflection to agree with him, but his image just taunted him.

He had to be at the restaurant by four-thirty. He had plenty of time, but he wanted to get there early to impress the owners. He laid out his new uniform carefully. He'd need a new pair of shoes which he couldn't afford until he got paid. For tonight he'd wear his black trainers. He knew that muggles never looked at people's shoes.

He got to the restaurant with a few minutes to spare. The chefs were about to over the menu for the night. He got to sample the entrees so he'd know what to recommend. The other server staff seemed very nice. He became friendly with them right away. They didn't know he was a loser or ran away from his perfect life. The girls liked him and men were willing to give him a chance. He found out where the hide out was where they could grab a quick smoke. One of the girls, Melanie, was his trainer. She told him that they would share tips. She helped him understand the menu and what to push.

"Always push the appetizers and the desserts," Melanie said. "We get paid bonuses for the appetizers and desserts we sell. You look like you could sell anything."

Ronald blushed a little. It felt good hearing nice things about him. There was one person in the universe didn't think he was a loser.

They sat in the break room waiting for the dining room to open. Melanie gave him some more hints. Keep the water glasses filled and the alcohol flowing. Smile a lot. Don't interrupt conversations. Be humble. Kiss ass.

Ron laughed.

"That's it," Melanie said, flicking the ash off her cigarette. "Smile just like that. They'll love you."

She reached out and touched the hair that grew in a small patch under his bottom lip. "Women like that, too," she said. "That sexy soul patch. It makes you want to kiss it."

Ron laughed again. He scraped his top teeth over the spot. "Be my guest."

Melanie gave him a strange look. Then she smiled and shook her head. "You're not my type," she said.

"How do you know I'm not your type?" he asked in a playful tone.

"You don't have a vagina, she said. She crushed out her cigarette and looked at her watch. "It's time." He stood up next to her and she smoothed down his jacket.

Dinner service was hectic, but Ron proved to be an excellent server. He took Melanie's advice to heart and he turned on the charm, especially with the older women. They thought he was so cute. He managed to sell more desserts than anyone and he was given a bonus at the end of the shift, which he had to split with Melanie.

Service was just about over when Melanie and a few of the others asked if he wanted to go out with them to a nearby club with them when the restaurant closed. He agreed to go and was looking forward to a few drinks with his new friends.

The last of the customers were starting to leave and Melanie told him to go to another section and help clear the tables. He started to the section when he looked up and saw someone he knew from his other life. It was Cho Chang. She was with a muggle Ronald didn't know. He stared at her without her looking at him. She looked up to say something to her friend when she spotted him, and smiled shyly. He just stared at her. His body felt like it was on fire. It wasn't that he was sexually attracted to her, he never understood what Harry saw in her; it was that she was the first magical person he had recognized in almost three years. He couldn't describe the feeling in his belly. Here was someone from his world. Everything came rushing back to him. He was a wizard. He couldn't escape that part of his life.

All of a sudden felt a deep ache in his heart. He couldn't understand and he sure as hell couldn't explain it. Suddenly, he reached into his pocket and took out the matchbook. The Magic Club. He had to go there. The person who gave him the matchbook with the name and number was there. They could tell him everything he needed to know.

Chapter 2--Fitting In

Cho was staring at him. "Excuse me," she said, "you look very familiar."

He looked down, unable to meet her eyes. "I don't think so," he mumbled. He stuffed the matchbook back into his pocket.

She drew in a quick breath and looked at her friend. "Ronald Weasley? You're a friend of, uh Harry's."

He looked up at her and stared.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. "Do you work here?"

Melanie came around to see what he was doing. She was anxious for the tables to be cleared so they could go out once the place closed. She looked at Ron, who was still looking at the floor.

"Is something wrong?" she asked. What had the new man screwed up now?

Cho looked at Ron, and then at Melanie. She smiled her very shy smile and shook her head. "I thought," she began but shook her head again.

Melanie smiled graciously. "Well, good night," she said pleasantly.

The man led Cho toward the front of the restaurant. Melanie started clearing off their table and thrust the plates at Ron.

"What was that about?" she asked.

"Nothin'," he muttered.

"What'd you do?" she asked testily.

He looked at her angrily. "I didn't do a goddamn thing. The lady thought she knew me. She didn't. Not a big fucking deal, all right?" he put the plates on the bus cart.

She looked at him for a moment. "You did good tonight, Ron. Still want to party with the plebs?"

He grinned. "Absolutely. I'm always ready to party."

"Did any old ladies stuff their numbers in your pants?" she teased.

"Yeah, maybe a couple," he kidded back.

She lit another cigarette as the wait staff sat around a huge banquet table waiting for the word to go home. She watched Ron, who looked nervous to her. He chained smoked; something that everyone at the restaurant did.

The head chef came in about twenty minutes later and congratulated them on the service. He made a special note of the new guy, who put the others to shame pushing desserts. Ron's face turned redder, but the others seemed willing to acknowledge him as well. They accepted him. They had no idea how important that was to him.

"So where are we going?" one of the servers, Derek asked when the chef had left. There were 10 to 15 regulars who partied together.

"Somewhere we can dance," suggested Jason.

"And I want to get pissed," said Collin.

"Me, too." Said Ron, but not as loud.

"Our little Ronnie here gets to pick," Melanie said.

Ron quickly shook his head. "Nah, I'm new to the neighborhood."

"Where do you usually go?" Sally, the only other female server asked.

He shrugged. "Different places," he said. "Nothing around here. I've only just recently relocated."

"Well, this isn't getting us anywhere. Someone pick a place and let's go!" Jason said impatiently.

"Then you pick," Sally said.

"Nasty Dance," Jason said.

"All right!" Everyone except Ron, of course, yelled out.

The club was right around the corner, and obviously you had to know someone to get in. Luckily this group were regulars so they got in without the usual wait. Sally grabbed Ron's hand and pulled him inside.

The place was loud and so crowded they could barely move. Collin found a space on the floor next to the bar. Everyone handed some money to him to buy the first round. Sally yelled in Ron's ear when he tried to give Collin money. "First one's free since you're the rookie. Let's dance!"

She dragged him a couple of feet onto the enormous dance floor. Ron didn't think he was much of a dancer, having inherited the Weasley two-left-feet gene, but Sally didn't seem to notice. She was wrapped around him tightly, closed her eyes and enjoyed the music. She grinned at him when she felt him hard against her. She sighed and ran her tongue around his ear and then moved to his mouth. She seemed to like that patch of beard under his lip, too.

"I've wanted to do that all day," she said after she'd nibbled his lower lip. "It was driving me mad."

Ronald held her tighter and nuzzled her neck. He sighed heavily and she snuggled up closer in his arms. She looked at him and his eyes were closed and he had a serene smile on his face.

"I'm going to enjoy working with you, Ron," Sally said. "Maybe we could get to know each other better."

Ron opened his eyes. "I'd like that. Everyone's been so nice. You know how to make a bloke feel welcome."

"We're a nice bunch. I love working with Melanie and the rest." She looked around. "They got a table. Come on." She grabbed his hand and walked him to the group. Collin handed Ron a stout and moved over so he and Sally could sit down.

Everyone around him talked like he was a normal person. They accepted him; didn't expect anything from him because of his associations. This is why Ron liked the muggle world. He was beginning to talk himself out of finding out what lay in store for him at the Magic Club. Seeing Cho brought out the feelings he'd tried for almost three years to suppress.

He had spent the past years in the muggle world as a vagabond. He'd not had a place to live or a job, but he knew what to do to survive. Almost three years in a world that had never heard of Lord Voldemort or death eaters or the famous Harry Potter or Harry's bungling side kick, Ron.

Here, women loved him, his peers respected him and people wanted to hear what he had to say. Why would he ever leave?

Chapter 3--The Visitor

"Have you counted your tips yet?" Sally asked as Ron pulled out a couple of bills for the second and third rounds.

He shook his head. "I just took what Melanie gave me. That plus the bonus." He took the roll out of his pocket and counted it. "Is this typical? There's a lot of money here."

"Yeah, get used to it. You keep charming the knickers off the women, you'll be rich in no time," Derek said lighting a cigarette.

Melanie agreed. "Wait'll you get to keep all your tips. You're a natural at this. It's like you cast a spell over the customers. Like that had to give you money. Like I said you were great." Ron smiled ironically.

Sally perked up. "If you got on the lunch shift that would be something. I'd hate to lose you, though." She flirted more. "There're a lot of business women who eat lunch at the restaurant. They're all older horny bitches. Honestly, with that smile of yours," she touched his lower lip. "Well, let's just say, you could make a lot of money."

"Yeah, well, we're not losing him to the day shift. Those bitches can do without him. He's ours, Melanie said. She picked up her glass in a toast. The others followed. "To Blue Ginger's newest sensation." They raised their glasses and all drank.

Ron had never felt so uncomfortable in his life. He didn't know if they were spoofing her or if they were sincere. Even after all this time, he didn't understand muggles. They seemed sincere, but he felt he must be guarded.

His tone must have been reflected in his expression, because Sally put her glass down and frowned at him.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Her expression now matched his.

"You're not trying to wank me off, are you?" he said, broodingly.

Sally smiled. "I will if you want me to," she said teasingly. "Really, what's wrong?"

Ron shook his head. "Nothing'," he said into his drink. "I get a little suspicious when people try to blow smoke up my arse."

She seemed genuinely surprised at his tone. "What do you mean?" she asked. "Don't you feel like you fit in with us? Because, sincerely, we all like you a lot. After Devon quit we needed someone to fill in that space. And honestly I thought you're doing a bang up job. Relax, okay. We just come on a little strong. We're harmless." She put her hand over his. "And besides, I thought the two of us could, you know, get along real well." Her hand moved to his leg and she lightly ran her fingers up and down his thigh shyly at first, then bolder as Ron started to respond.

"Oi!" shouted Melanie, "don't hog our boy."

Sally rolled her eyes, but put both her hands on the table.

"Tell us all about yourself, Ron," Melanie said. "You're not from around here?"

Ron took another drink, then lit a cigarette off the one he was smoking. He shook his head as he crushed out the other cigarette. "I've been in various places in London for about two and a half years now. I came from the country."

"Really? I'd have never known. You have a city accent," Collin said. "Where'd you go to school?"

"Er, in Scotland," he hedged.

Everyone nodded like it was the most natural thing in the world. "Where else have you waited?"

"I haven't." he said, blowing out a stream of cigarette smoke. "First time."

"No shit?" Derek said. "Well, you're a natural. I saw how you handled the Bingly's. You're good."

Collin agreed. "Yeah, I thought old Mrs. Bingly was going to go down on you, she was so pleased."

It was good they were in a dark room, because Ron blushed a deep red.

"The Bingly's are hard people to wrestle a tip out of."

"Ron got twenty quid off them." Melanie said proudly. "Of course I took most of it because I am training him, after all." They looked impressed.

"You bitch," Sally said, laughing.

"Only two more days and he can keep all the tips. I'm playing fair here," she explained. "What're you going to do with your first night's tips?" Melanie asked.

"If I don't spend it all on alcohol, I'm going to pay another couple days' rent so I don't get kicked out of my room. I probably should buy some food. I'm going to start being very responsible from now on," Ron said.

"What'd you do before?" Collin asked.

Ron blushed. "Er, I kind of lived off the generosity of others," he said cryptically.

"You were on the dole?" Melanie asked.

Ron wasn't exactly sure what that meant, but he nodded.

"You could have been a gigolo," Melanie said. He blushed even redder and looked away.

"Oh my God!" Sally shrieked. "You were! I can totally believe that! How much do you charge?" She started digging into her pockets and putting bills on the table. Everyone burst out laughing, including Ron.

"Honey," purred Melanie. "You don't have enough money! He looks too high end for you."

"Did you ever do guys?" Derek asked eagerly.

Before Ron could respond, Sally piped in. "Piss off, Derek, he's straight," she said.

Everyone at the table agreed.

"I'm just asking. Don't bite my head off," Derek said good naturedly.

Ron leaned over to Melanie. "I'm not a gigolo, you know," he said.

Melanie mussed his hair. "You're so cute. We're just fucking with you," she said. "Relax." She smoothed his hair back and kissed his forehead.

The rest of the evening was lively. They all drank and laughed and welcomed Ron into their happy group.

Sally thought Ron would invite her to spend the night. She certainly left enough hints that she was more than willing to oblige. But when the party finally broke up, Ron returned to his room alone. This was the first time in a long time that Ron slept alone by choice.

As Ron was getting undressed, he pulled change and out of his pocket and threw in an ash tray. He pulled out the matchbook and looked at it closely. He was ready to toss it in the rubbish bin, when he changed his mind. He placed the matchbook in the top drawer of the dresser.

After six weeks, Ron was able to afford a better flat and moved to a place that his friends recommended. The group seemed to gravitate to his place when after the clubs closed. He finally gave in to Sally's insistence and slept with her. They remained friends even after. Staff came and went at the Blue Ginger. Ron was a trainer and still brought in more tips than anyone else. Like his friends said, it was as if he cast a spell over the patrons to loosen their wallets.

When he wasn't partying with his friends, he was working. He volunteered for the lunch shift for extra tips. His friends were right; the older business ladies absolutely loved him. He even dated a few of the patrons.

He still got in black moods, but his friends knew enough not to bother him then. He would see people in the restaurant or on the street and he wouldn't speak to anyone for a whole day. It was scary, but none of his friends asked him about it. They gave him his space and within a few hours or days, he was back.

One evening after work, the gang congregated once again to his tiny flat after their favorite club closed. A new server, Daniel, who had been working with them, and not quite as accepted as the regular group, commented on the number of girls Ron dated. He seemed to manage each one of them without them knowing about the others.

Ron laughed and said, "You think I'm good, you should see my brother Charlie. He's got them coming and going. Now, he really has the Weasley charm."

Melanie looked at him strangely. "I didn't know you had a brother," she said. "You don't ever talk about your family."

"No, I guess I don't," he said quietly. His mood suddenly darkened and he walked away from his friends.

Sally found him sitting in his bed room in the dark smoking a cigarette. She wrapped her arms around his neck and waited for him to push her away. But he didn't. He held her arms tightly.

"I miss them sometimes," he said thickly. He let her go and finished his cigarette, tossing the butt out of the window.

Sally looked at him cautiously. "Are you all right? Do you want everyone to leave?"

Ron shook his head. "Nah, I'm fine. Don't mean to be a buzz kill."

Sally started to leave. He touched her arm. "Thanks," he said, kissing her.

The next day, Ron agreed to work the lunch shift, along with his regular shift for the evening meal. He spent a busy morning taking care of the tables. The Blue Ginger was a very popular spot for lunch and although the tips weren't as big as the dinner meal tips, because the food was a real bargain compared to the pricey evening menu, Ron collected over 200 quid. Lunch was just winding down when the hostess told him that he had another guest who asked for him personally. He walked into the smaller dining room and stopped at the table. Without looking at the customer, Ron said pleasantly, "Welcome to Blue Ginger. My name's Ron and I'll be your server. We're featuring our. . ." but he stopped, unable to say another word.

She looked at him and smiled. He slipped into the chair across from her. "Hello, Mum."

Chapter 4--The Promise

Molly stared at Ron for the longest time. He had grown and his hair was different. His natural smile was gone; his eyes were sad. He smiled at her. But the smile didn't reach his eyes.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. He looked like he was fighting something.

"I just wanted to make sure you were all right. I heard you were here." Molly was taken aback because she was certain that when he saw her he would, what? Jump into her arms? Cry? Beg for forgiveness and come home? But he sat there across from her without tears; the only sign of emotion was his clenching his order book.

"You look wonderful, dear," she said sincerely.

He smiled again. "I'll be right back," he said jumping up. Molly watched him leave and was afraid he wasn't coming back.

In less than a minute he was back, setting a glass of wine in front of her. He had a glass of water that he sipped from before he sat down. As soon as he sat down, he lit a cigarette. His mother started to give him a stern look, but she thought better. She figured he was trying to hide his nervousness.

"How've you been?" she asked taking a drink of the wine. She smiled and licked her lips.

"I'm good," he said nodding. "You look good." He paused. "How's everybody?" He took a drag from his cigarette and inhaled deeply. He directed the smoke away from her face.

"We miss you, dear." Her eyes began over flow with tears. "I miss you," she said quietly. She pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve and dabbed her eyes.

Ron was leaning way over on the table, his elbows resting on the table. Had he been home, Molly would have chided him on his bad posture, but she didn't say anything. She wanted to reach out and hold his hands, but she held her hands in her lap.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. He crushed the cigarette out and smoothed his hair back. He played with the soul patch under his bottom lip.

"Ronald, no one's seen you in almost three years. I wanted to make sure you're all right."

He sat up. "I'm fine, Mum. Really."

"How are you managing to live? Have you given up magic altogether?" She got weepy again. "Can you give up magic, really?"

Ron blew out a ragged breath. "You want the best for me, don't you? Isn't that what you've always said?"

"Of course, you're father and I want the very best for you. But we always thought you were happy who you were." She dried her eyes. "I don't know who you are. I can't see any of my Ronald in you."

"I'm still here, Mum." He patted his face and grinned. "And I am happy."

He lit another cigarette. This time his mother did give him an exasperated look. He grinned at that, too.

"Ronald, will you please come home?"

He shrugged. "Not yet," he said softly. "Or maybe never. I don't know."

"You're dad wants you home. I want you to come home," she said quietly. The tears were coming again. Ron reached across the table and touched her face.

"I have to go. I'll bring you something to eat. You'll like the food here." He crushed out his cigarette and stood up. "Don't go. I'm serious. I want to feed you. Do you want some more wine?"

Molly shook her head. She didn't see any point in staying if Ron wasn't going to go back with her, but she was not ready to say good bye forever. So she stayed where she was.

She was ridiculously out of place in the upscale, high end restaurant. She was the least familiar with muggle living, but it was she who came to talk some sense into Ron; not Arthur or any of the rest of his family. Hermione wanted to come with her, but Molly didn't think that was a good idea. Part of Ron's problem stemmed from his friendship with Hermione and Harry.

The last night when Ron stormed out of the Burrow, vowing never to return played over and over in her mind. If Arthur and Bill hadn't been so confrontational. If Ron hadn't been so insecure. If they had only understood that it the real problem wasn't Ron's defiance, but it was his grieving over his brother. They accused him of being cold hearted, of not caring. Bill had told him he was a loser who just got lucky with his friends.

That's what drove him away. Bill didn't mean it, but he couldn't take back the words or the hurt he'd caused. The accusation was just the last straw of a very insecure never was who was always outshined by everyone else. His father hadn't stood up for him. But he had no idea how Bill's taunts had wounded him.

In the magical world Ron was just another ordinary wizard whose friend had defeated the most powerful dark wizard in the history of magic. In the muggle world he was accepted just for being himself. He didn't have to prove himself.

"Ronald," his mother said, "you're going to miss the magic. You're wasting your talent."

He shook his head. "No. I'm not. Don't leave yet, all right? Please" He got up quickly and delivered the order to the kitchen. He was almost too late, but he handed in the ticket and was told that it would be ready quickly.

He delivered the meal and watched his mother as she enjoyed probably the first meal in over twenty years she didn't have to prepare herself. Maybe she wouldn't understand or appreciate it, but it gave Ron a great deal of satisfaction.

When she finished the last of the scrumptious dessert he put in front of her, she sighed. He could tell she enjoyed the meal. "Thank you, Ronald. That was delicious. I guess I should be going." She started to get up, but she dug through the big bag at her feet and brought out a wrapped package. "This is for you, dear. I knitted you a jumper. No," she said as he began tearing off the paper, "don't open it here, I'd be too embarrassed. But it's not maroon."

Ron laughed and gave his mother kiss on her cheek. "Thanks, Mum. I really will wear it."

He started to follow her out. "Will you come back again?" he asked. He paused "I do love you, you know." This time the smile did reach his eyes.

She cried again. Nodding, "I will come back. Promise that you will at least think about coming home?"

"I will think about it," he said.

He let her kiss him and hold on to him. She touched his face and looked at him sadly. "My dear boy," she said affectionately.

"I'll talk to you soon, okay?" he promised.

He watched her leave. Closing his eyes, he didn't want this memory to go away. He'd never admit how much seeing his mother meant to him. Molly Weasley was not the kind of woman who'd go out into the muggle world. It must have been very hard for her. He'd broken her heart by not returning to a life he was not eager to enter, he could see that, but he hadn't finalized anything. He didn't say he would never go home.

He patted the package that his mother had so carefully wrapped. Who knows, he thought. Maybe one day.

Chapter 5--Happy Birthday, Ron

Don't go, he thought. But it was too late. Molly disappeared off the street with a "crack" that no one noticed. He stood holding the package she gave him, watching the place where she disappeared.

Lunch service was over and the restaurant was closing until dinner. Ron helped with the cleanup. One of the servers, Candace, pointed to the package in his hands, "What's that? Is it your birthday?"

Ron looked at her surprised. He laughed. "Yeah, it is my birthday. I'd forgotten." He held the package to his chest. She didn't forget.

"We'll have to celebrate. Are you off now?" she asked.

Ron shook his head. "I'm working dinner shift, too."

"Well, let's see what you got. Are you going to open it now?" she asked, very curious.

He laid the package on one of the tables. "It's a jumper my Mum made for me."

"Let's see it, then,." she said.

Ron rolled his eyes. He was usually embarrassed at having to wear the usually maroon sweaters she knitted for him. But he saw that it was a deep blue, one color and it was beautiful.

"That's beautiful," Candace said, rubbing her hands across the cable stitching. "There's something in it," she said, pointing to a bulge.

Ron felt where Candace's hands had just been and he froze. He slowly unfolded the sweater. And there it was, laying flat tucked in the middle of the beautiful sweater was his wand. Attached to the wand was a note in his mother's handwriting that read, "To help you find your way back."

He picked the wand up carefully. Candace looked at the wand in his hand. "A conductor's baton?" she asked. She reached for it, but he quickly tucked it into his waistband.

"Yeah," he said. He was quiet.

"Well," she persisted. "May I see it?"

"Uh, no," he said,. "it's quite expensive. Belonged to my great-great grandfather," he lied smoothly. "I need to put it away. It's very old and I'm afraid it will break. Sorry."

He quickly folded the sweater and went to find his shift leader. He told Scott that he had to rush home before the next shift. He lived quite close and wouldn't be gone long. He clocked out and ran the block to his flat.

He ran up the stairs to the third floor without slowing down. When he got to this front door, instead of pulling out his keys, he instinctively pulled out his wand, pointed it at the lock and said, "Alohomora," and he pushed his way in.

"Oh shit," he said, looking at his wand. "I didn't mean to do that," he said to himself as he found himself in his apartment, his keys still in his pocket. He hadn't used magic in almost three years and the first thing he does is open his front door without even thinking about it. Not good, not good.

He looked around his flat for a place to keep his wand safe. He didn't want to use it; he was done with magic, he thought.

He went straight to his linen closet and stuffed the wand in between some towels. He would figure out what to do with it later. He put the sweater his mother made on his bed and headed back out the door. He ran all the way back to the restaurant, nearly running into several people on his way in.

"What's wrong?" Melanie asked, steadying him. "In a hurry?"

"Thought I was going to be late," he panted, out of breath.

"Candace told me it's your birthday. Why didn't you say something? We definitely have to party tonight," Melanie said, dancing around him.

"Uh, I forgot, honestly. Yeah, yeah, course. You know me." He was babbling. His face was red.

"Honey, I may even give you a little sumpin', sumpin', if you know what I mean," she was dancing very close, rubbing her breasts in his chest. She was laughing.

"Sure," he said, "and bring your girlfriend, too." He danced with her, grinding into her.

"Hey! You guys, get a room," Sally said as she walked into the restaurant's back door. "You're causing a scene." She walked up behind Ron and starting dirty dancing with him and Melanie

"Oh, look," said Derek. "A Ron sandwich, can I have some of that?"

Laughing, Melanie broke away from him. "It's our ickle Ronnie's birthday. I was just giving him his present."

"No shit? Happy birthday, baby," Sally said as she turned him around and kissed him passionately. Stunned, Ron stepped back and blinked.

"We gonna to party tonight?" Derek asked.

"Abso-fucking-lutely," Melanie said. "How old are you now, Ron?"

Ron grimaced, counting in his head. "I reckon I'm twenty or so now."

"Oh my God," squealed Melanie. "Sally, you've been shagging a baby!"

"Honey," she teased. "He ain't no baby."

Ron blushed again and rolled his eyes. The maître d'hôtel walked into the room, ending the spontaneous party.

The chef was introducing a new entrée and everyone got to taste it. It looked like something his mother used to make for him, but it was definitely richer. It tasted delicious.

"And also," the chef said in his heavy French accent, "we've prepared a new dessert that complements the entrée."

"Hey, chef," Melanie said, "name this after Ron; it's his birthday today."

"Really?" He looked at Ron with his arrogant look. "Sure, why not? We call it the 'Ron Delight', assuming of course it is delightful to Ron."

"Absolutely delightful, chef," Ron said taking a bite of the rich dessert. "Thank you." He licked his lips.

The staff, Ron included, applauded the chef and his food. He bowed humbly, well, as humbly as his oversized ego would allow.

The evening service was very lively. The wait staff gave Ron one percent of their tips for the night and the pastry chef presented him with a birthday cake at the end of the shift. Everyone, including the chefs and sous chefs, staff and owner sat around after the restaurant closed and enjoyed the cake.

His partying friends followed him to his flat because, after two shifts, Ron desperately needed a shower. Mitch brought a bag of weed out of his pocket and began rolling a dooby. Ron had never smoked weed before and Mitch thought it would be a perfect birthday present. Ron very politely declined the offer.

The others passed the joint around while Ron went into to take a shower. He pulled a fresh towel out of the linen closet and his wand fell to the floor. He quickly picked it up and shoved it back farther into the linen closet. He'd find a better place to hide it tomorrow.

When he stepped out of the shower, he wrapped the towel around his waist and walked down the hall to his bed room. His friends waved at him and Sally gave him an extra long look. She grinned stupidly and followed him into his bedroom. She was on him as soon as she closed the door behind him.

She threw the towel off him and kissed him. "Thought you'd like a little something special for your birthday," she said pushing him down on his bed, kneeling in front of him. Ron closed his eyes dreamily as she covered him with her mouth.

"Damn," he said when she was finished. "Thanks. Best birthday present I ever had." He grinned at her.

She laughed. "God, I'm so high." She lay down on his bed and threw her arm over her eyes. "Wow. You should try the weed Mitch brought."

Ron finished getting dressed. "No thanks, I prefer getting high the old fashioned way. Are you all right?"

She muttered something and rolled over. Oh great, Ron thought. He nudged her, but she just waved him away. He went into the living room with the rest of his friends. He lit a cigarette and sat down next to Melanie.

"Sally's passed out on my bed," he said. "You think we should leave her here? Or do you want to hang out here?"

"Doesn't matter to me. We can send out for booze, I guess. It's your birthday, you tell us," she answered. Collin just ordered Chinese. We all have the munchies now."

Ron honestly didn't know what to do. He was slightly annoyed that his friends were smoking dope in his home. He appreciated their generosity and friendship today, but right now he'd rather be alone. They had to work the next day, so he hoped he could get rid of them early.

He knew how to change water into gin, so they wouldn't need to send out for--wait a minute; he wasn't going to do any magic tonight. What was wrong with him? He'd had his wand back less than six hours and already his wizard side was taking over.

"Let's stay in," Ron said.

Everyone seemed to agree, except Derek who wanted to dance. "There's no bloody music. I can't believe you don't have music," he grumbled. Since the party was impromptu, no one brought any music this time.

"Stop complaining. Now you know what to give him for his birthday," Mitch said.

The party was funny since everyone except Ron was high. He didn't drink very much, and he stayed mostly sober. Everyone had fallen asleep by midnight except Ron and Sally. Sally woke up and was ready to party. She was still in an amorous mood and she and Ron went to bed together. The others slept where they fell.

When Ron woke up the next morning, he was alone. The others had left sometime in the night, except for Sally. He heard the shower running and jumped up to look in the linen closet to see if his wand was safe. Sally was standing in the hall, quite naked holding the wand. She was looking at it curiously.

"Good morning," she said. She reached up to kiss him, but he very gently took the wand out of her hand.

"This is very old," he said. "Do you mind?" He said it very politely and Sally who was totally clueless merely smiled.

"Sorry. What is it?"

He couldn't remember what Candace had called it, something about a baton.

"You know," he said, very careful not to wave it in her face.

She looked at him blankly. She shrugged. "I need a shower, and then I have to go. I had a real good time yesterday," she said, this time Ron actually did kiss her.

"Me too. You want breakfast?"

She grabbed towel out of the closet and shook her head. "No. I'm supposed to meet my mother for breakfast. Next time, yes?"

"Sure." He went into the kitchen while she continued into the bathroom.

Ron thought she took an awfully long time in the shower. He really wanted her gone. He had a number of things he needed to settle in his head and he needed to be alone to think straight.

Finally after a half hour, Sally emerged from the bathroom in a cloud of steam. She got dressed walked into the kitchen were Ron was eating toast. She took a small bite of his toast.

"Are you working lunch again?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Just dinner," he told her.

"Then I'll see you this afternoon." She kissed him again and left.

Ron took the wand out of his waist band and looked at it. He flicked his wrist and the bowl on the table flew into the sink. He tapped the wand in his free hand. He did miss magic. He felt he had accomplished what he set out to. He had found his own way. Now he needed to decide if that was enough and whether he would go back to his other life or stay here.

Was there anything else left to prove? And what would happen if he went home? His mother made it clear to him that his family missed him and wanted him back. Holding his wand felt so natural. He was ready to make a decision.

Chapter 6--The Magic Club

Ron sat on his bed looking out the window. His wand was in his hand and he kept tapping his left hand with it. He thought about his friends; the friends he made here, his co-workers and his friends in his other world. His friends here were good to party with and they had his back. And they thought he was special. But they were also annoyingly happy all of the time. The only thing that seemed to bother them was if they couldn't decide where to go to party. They didn't seem to have any ambition, but this may very well be a transitional period for them as well.

His other friends. The ones he'd gone to school with; the ones that, in reality, would be willing to sacrifice their lives for him and the greater good. And they understood magic. One of the reasons he left was that he needed to feel important; no one, as far as he could tell, thought he was special. In fact, they thought he was an ordinary wizard who got lucky with his friends. Hermione, who was so smart, and the cleverest witch he knew, and Harry, the boy who saved the world were his two best friends in his natural world. But, he also counted his brothers and sister as his friends as one of those had sacrificed in their own way. And what had he done? He ran away when his friends needed him the most.

Then there were his parents. He always thought that they were more disappointed in him than his siblings. Molly always seemed to love Bill and especially Charlie more than the rest. And of course, when Ginny came, he was virtually ignored. Arthur always wanted a daughter and Ron convinced himself that his parents would have been happier if he had been a girl. He thought that when Percy turned his back on the family that Ron's status would be raised within the family. But now that Percy returned as the prodigal son, Ron was relegated back to the back.

Ron was ready to make a decision; the problem was he wasn't sure what the decision would be. On the one hand, he was getting tired of partying every night, but he really liked his job and the acceptance of him by his friends. On the other hand, he missed magic and his mother, but going home wouldn't mean automatic acceptance by the wizarding world. And his parents would probably expect him to find a real job and he didn't want to work for the Ministry of Magic or Grigotts. There was a possibility that his brother George would give him a job with Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes and that sounded interesting.

Muggle women were easy and the first two and a half years in their world, he got laid a lot. The only time he got lucky in the wizarding world was when witches thought going out with him would mean getting closer to Harry Potter. And witches weren't easy.

He'd had a couple of girlfriends; Lavender Brown, who was a really good kisser and Hermione Granger, who was the love of his life. Of course he'd managed to fuck up both relationships beyond repair. He'd be lucky if Hermione would even talk to him if he went back. Besides, she was too good for him.

Ron thought his head was going to explode. The answer was right in front of him, but he was no nearer deciding what he was going to do than when his mother visited him. He thought about The Magic Club. He was so sure he would have an epiphany if he went there so he decided he would visit the club after work, if he could find the place.

Ron told his friends that he was meeting a girl at The Magic Club, but he had no idea how to get there. None of his friends had heard of it before but Melanie looked up the address. It was on the other side of town in a dodgy neighborhood.

"There's in invitation to get sliced up and killed, heading off into an area like that. You want us to go with you?" she said, genuinely concerned.

Ron laughed. "No, I'll be fine. I'm stronger than I look."

"If the place turns out to be hot, come and get us, okay?" Collin said. "Who's the girl, anyway?"

"Random pick up. Nothing serious," Ron said.

Sally sighed dreamily. "I love magic," she said.

"What?" Ron said. "What did you say?"

"You know, magic tricks. It's so fun to watch. It all looks so real to me," she explained.

The others snickered. "Oh I know it's all an illusion. But some of the magicians are really, really good. Sometimes it looks like the magic is real. Do you know any magic tricks, Ron?"

Ron laughed. "Yeah, a couple, I guess."

"You know what my favorite trick is? Pulling a rabbit out of a hat. Can you do that one?" she asked.

"As a matter of fact, yes, I can," he said, laughing at his own joke.

"Can you do it now?" Sally asked.

"No, stupid, he doesn't have his magic wand," Melanie said, laughing and rolling her eyes.

"Right," said Ron. "Sorry."

Sally's eyes lit up. Oh, shit, Ron thought. She's going to make the connection. Why was it always the dumb ones?

"You have a magic wand, don't you, Ron? I saw it," Sally said eagerly.

"Yeah, Sally," Melanie said sardonically. "We all know you've seen 'Ron's wand'. And I'm sure it's magical."

Ron blushed and laughed nervously. He stuck the club's address in his pocket and tried to look busy. He spent the rest of the evening avoiding Sally, which proved to be almost impossible. Their stations were next to each other, and it was an incredibly slow night.

He finally got permission to leave early. He ran to his apartment and quickly changed clothes and Apparated to the alley behind the club. Luckily no one was around. The Magic Club was located in a dodgy part of town. It was surrounded by sex shops and nudie bars. Ron was beginning to wonder if the Magic Club may not be what he thought it was. He walked around the corner. The sign was gaudy and alley behind the club smelled like vomit and urine.

Ron walked into the club and went directly to the bar. There were a couple of older women sitting at the bar. He reckoned that they were probably regulars. The bartender was a pretty good looking woman. He couldn't tell how old she was, but when he stepped up to the bar, she smiled in recognition.

"Hello, I haven't seen you around here in a while. What can I get for you?"

He dug the matchbook out of his pocket. "Is, um, Brianna around?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

The woman laughed nodded. "Sure," she said.

Not quite sure of himself, he nodded. "She wrote her name in this," he showed her the matchbook. "And I was very drunk when I was here and I honestly don't remember much. I thought this was important."

The bar tender took the matchbook. "You must have made an impression. She rarely gives out her number."

"Is she here?" He asked, not quite as patiently.

She nodded. "Hey, Brianna!" she called out. A woman wearing a very revealing outfit turned around. She spotted Ron and smiled broadly.

She walked over to the bar. She was carrying a large tray that he set down on the bar.

"Hello, stranger. I'd about given up on you," she said, smiling at Ron.

Ron held up the matchbook. "I was very drunk and I don't remember you giving me your number."

Brianna raised her eyebrow. "I remember you," she said. "You can't really forget that red hair. So? If you don't remember, what are you doing here?"

Ron shook his head. "I don't know. I thought this place had something to do with magic; real magic, as in wizards."

Brianna looked around. "Oh. Come over here. Jill, I'm taking a break." She led him to a table and they sat down.

"Are you a witch?" he asked plainly.

She looked around to make sure no one heard him. She nodded. "We talked a long time about that. You asked me how I lived in the muggle world. I thought at the time you were trying to come to a decision about whether or not you wanted to stop being a wizard. I was worried about you. You were pretty messed up."

He nodded. He was wondering why he didn't remember her or talking to her. She couldn't answer that for him.

"You 're doing much better now, yes?" she asked. "You look healthier."

"Oh yes, much better. I have a job and my own flat. I'm a server at Blue Ginger,." he told her. She looked impressed.

"I'm glad to see you're doing well. So, you're going to stay?" she asked.

Ron shrugged. "Not sure. I'm going over my options now." He looked at her. "What would you do if you had the choice?"

Brianna laughed. "I do have the choice. This isn't about me. But honestly? I'd go back if I were you. You told me about your family. At least you had support and love. I was kind of shunned."

"Was that what it was about? Prejudice?" he asked. He couldn't believe that the wizarding community would shun anyone. "Are you living completely without magic?"

Brianna nodded. "It gets easier. And remember this was my decision. I stopped using magic and I don't even think I could now. What happened to you?"

"My mother found me and gave me my wand. I was all right until I got my wand back. I don't want to get rid of it. It's a very natural thing for me to use magic. It took me a long time to adjust, but I did. I honestly believed I could live without magic."

Brianna nodded. "So What changed?"

"Mum gave me my wand."

"Ah, yes," she said. "Someone is waiting for you. You won't be alone. Somebody loves you. That's important."

"So?" Ron asked. "What should I do?"

"I told you what I would do if I were you." Brianna said. She got up and went to the bar. She brought back two lagers and sat one down in front of him. "It's on the house."

Ron looked around at the bar. "The name of your club," be started.

She grinned and nodded. "Ironic name, huh? I couldn't resist. It brings all kinds of people in. You know, Ron, you could look at your adventure as a wizard version of Rumspringa. Ever heard that word?"

Ron shook his head. He lit a cigarette and blew the smoke away from the table.

"Well, Rumspringa is a Pennsylvania Dutch term that means, "to run around" in the American Amish culture. Parents literally turn their teenagers loose to experience life among the English; that's what they call the non-Amish. Parents give them the freedom to experience life and when they're done, they either come back to the lifestyle or abandon it. I chose to abandon my heritage. I think that's what you're going through."

She took a sip of the lager. "But you know, Ron, you're going to have to choose."

Ron finished his glass and set it down on the table. "I know. Thanks Brianna. I'm glad I met you sober." They both laughed.

Chapter 7--Best of Both Worlds

As Ron was leaving the club, he noticed the sign underneath The Magic Club. It read, "The best of both worlds." The irony struck him and he grinned and it suddenly dawned on him that he could have both worlds. There were parts to the muggle world he loved and there were parts of the magical world he didn't think he could live without. If he lived in the muggle world and came home to the wizard world when he needed to, then why not have both?

Was there a law written that he couldn't live in both worlds? As long as he didn't do magic in front of muggles, what was the harm?

Ron wasn't paying attention when he ran into a man outside the club, knocking him down. The man was obviously drunk and belligerent. Ron helped him up as he apologized, but the man took a swing at him.

"Lousy motherfucker," the man slurred. "Watch where you're goin'." The man took another swing at him and connected with his fist to his face, knocking Ron to the ground. Before he had the chance to defend himself, the drunk began kicking him in the face. The man's friends apparently took offense at Ron getting his blood on the man's shoes, because they proceeded to beat the shit out of him, leaving him in a bloody heap on the side of the building. The pain in his face was excruciating and he finally passed out.

Ron had no idea how long he'd been out, but he slowly started to open his eyes. He moaned and touched his face. It was swollen and sore. He had stitches over his right eye and his left hand was in a cast. The men had stomped on his hand and broken it.

The room was dark and he didn't know where he was. He heard unfamiliar noises in his room and he had a needle taped to his good arm.

"What the fuck?" he mumbled, trying to get a bead on where he was.

"Oh, you're awake. Excellent." He turned to the voice and he saw Brianna smiling at him. "I thought you were dead."

"Where the fuck am I?" he croaked.

"Mercy Hospital," she said. "You were brought unconscious. They didn't know if you were going to make it or not. I'm glad you're awake. I have to go get someone."

"Don't go," he said.

She got up and patted his arm. "I'll be right back," she promised. She headed out the open door as Ron watched her leave.

Every inch of his body ached. His head was pounding and his good eye was going in and out of focus. He gingerly touched his face and felt his broken nose.

Presently a woman dressed in multi-colored scrubs walked in with Brianna following closely behind. "So you're awake, I see," she said. Her voice was very soothing.

Ron started to nod his head, but it hurt when he moved. "How long have I been here?"

"Two days," The nurse said.

"Damn," Ron said.

There was a noise from outside his door. There was a loud knock, and then the door opened before anyone could say anything. In rushed Melanie, Collin, David, Derek, and a very weepy Sally. Each one of them was holding flowers or candy, and a handful of Mylar balloons.

"Oh my God, my beautiful Ronnie," Melanie said. She put the bunch of flowers on the table next to his bed. She kissed him gently on the cheek and winced when he did.

Sally took one look at his face and burst into renewed tears. She handed him a box of pastries that the pastry chef had given to her for Ron. "We were so worried about you, Ron," Sally sniffled. She touched his hand.

Ron smiled at her. "I'm fine, Sally. Really. A bit sore. Didn't see it coming."

"Did they catch the guys who did this?' Sally asked.

Ron laughed, and held his side. "Ow. Sally, I just woke up. I've been out of it for a couple of days."

The nurse said, "The doctor put you into a coma to reduce the swelling in your brain."

"Oh God!" Sally started wailing again.

"Small wonder my head hurts," Ron said.

"The doctor's already been in today. He'll be in tomorrow. I think you need your rest. It's quite late. You should leave," she said to the group. "Mr. Weasley needs his rest."

"Ron, do you need anything?" Collin asked.

"Yeah, I could use a fag," he said.

Collin pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and handed it to him. The nurse gave him a stern look. She held out her hand, but Ron didn't give up the cigarettes.

"You can't smoke in here," she said.

"I won't," he promised. He was willing to wait until the nurse left. "I'm hungry. Is it too late to get something to eat?" he asked politely. The nurse smiled and told him he'd bring him a tray.

As soon as the nurse left, Ron lit a cigarette. He had a coughing fit. "Ow," he said, "that hurt." He put out the cigarette in a glass of water, still coughing. "Good time to quit," he said.

Sally was still obsessing on Ron's injuries. She was clearly upset. Ron realized that he must look a mess, but if he had his wand, he could pretty much fix his face. He didn't know what to do with the hard glove on his left hand. It was extremely painful.

Brianna, who had been hanging in the back ground walked up to his hospital bed. "Is there anyone you want me to get in touch with?" she asked quietly. He looked at her for a long minute and shook his head.

"I guess not. Don't want to worry anyone unnecessarily," he said pointedly, shaking his head sadly.

Brianna nodded, understanding. "Well," she said, finally, "now that I'm sure you are going to live, I have to go. Take care of yourself. Come and see me sometime."

"Thanks for your help," he said.

Brianna waved and turned and walked out the door.

"Who was that?" Melanie asked.

"Brianna. I don't know her last name. She owns that club I went to."

"I told you it was dangerous over there," Melanie interrupted.

Ron nodded. "You were right. I let my guard down for a moment and look what happened."

"We should have been there," Collin said, "we'd have had your back. Those sorry bastards wouldn't have touched you."

Ron grinned, than grimaced. "Thanks mate. I know you would have. I was fucking blind sided. It wasn't a fair fight. I don't know how many friends the prick had, but I was definitely outnumbered."

Sally's eyes teared up and bit her bottom lip. "Oh, how dreadful."

Ron reached out his good hand and took her hand. "I'm all right now. See? I imagine they'll kick me out of here in a couple of hours."

"No, you need to stay. You punctured a lung and have a hairline skull fracture." Sally kissed his hand. "We were so worried."

The nurse returned with a food tray for Ron. She smelled the cigarette smoke and gave him a severe look. She held out her hand again. "I'll keep them for you and you can go outside later to smoke. Hand them over."

Looking sheepish, Ron handed her the pack. "Sorry," he said meekly.

The nurse told everyone to leave; he needed his rest, she told them. They could come back the next day.

Ron's friends reluctantly left, promising to return the next day. He kissed Melanie on the cheek and Sally on the lips. She clung to him longer, but Derek pulled her off. She was hurting Ron, he told her.

Once his friends left, Ron ate most of the food from the tray, but found the food so bland that he couldn't finish. He especially disliked the jiggly green stuff with a glob of white sweet grease on top. He drank the warm milk and started to ask for more, but he was getting tired. He needed to sleep. He sank down into the bed and closed his eyes.

He had no idea how long he'd slept, but when he woke up the room was dark. He had to pee so he pulled himself up and threw his legs over the side of the bed. As he started to get up, he heard a noise coming from a darkened area.

Ron jumped and tried to make out the figure sitting alone in an uncomfortable-looking chair. He squinted his eyes, but couldn't make out the figure.

"Hello?" he called out. "Who's there?"

The figure stood up and walked closer out of the shadow. "You look like shit," a familiar voice said.

"Charlie," he said, his voice full of emotion, "is that you?"

Charlie walked into the glow of the night light behind Ron's bed.

"Hey bro," he said. "Closer you still look like shit. Damn, man. She wasn't exaggerating, was she?"

He was so happy to see his brother that he started to cry. Charlie embraced him.

"It's so good to see you. How'd you know?"

"Some chick named Brianna sent an owl to the Burrow, but you're lucky I intercepted it. Mum doesn't know you're here. You know she'd freak out."

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

Charlie raised an eyebrow. "I'm going to take you home," he said. "What? You got brain damage now?"

Ron smiled. Typical Charlie, he thought. "Charlie," he began. He raked his top teeth over his bottom lip nervously. "I'm not going home. I've decided I'm going to stay here."

Charlie raised his eyebrows. "So you're going to give up magic?" He looked at him dubiously.

Ron shook his head. "Not entirely."

Charlie sighed loudly. "You need someone to take care of you now. You're a mess."

Ron nodded and sat up straighter in the bed. "Do I look that bad?" he asked.

Charlie nodded. "Yeah. Didn't I tell you that already? You're pretty fucked up."

"But I can't go home; you know how Mum would act. I don't want to frighten her. I've supposedly gotten a real dose of maturity and I don't want to do anything stupid."

Charlie laughed. "Too late for that, bro." Charlie stretched his arms over his head. "Don't worry. I have some free time on my hands. I figured I'd hang around here until you're ready to go home. I don't want Mum to see you until you've gotten handsome again."

"That's it?" he asked incredulously.

Charlie yawned and nodded. "Yeah. You want me to make something up?"

Ron thought about it for a moment. "Nah."

"The only stipulation is that you have to come back with me when you're well enough," Charlie told him.

"Okay, but I need to explain to you what I've come up with," he said.

"Later, there's plenty of time for that. Go to sleep. We can talk tomorrow. I'll be here," Charlie said.

"Charlie," Ron said, "Fix my face, all right? My nose is broken and I can't breathe right."

"Okay," he said, pulling out his wand. He pointed it at Ron's nose, muttered the reparo charm and immediately Ron felt his nose grow warm. He touched it gingerly.

"Much better, thanks," he said.

"No problem. Anything else?" Charlie asked ginning.

Ron shook his head. "I still have to pee," he said.

"Well, for that you're on your own," Charlie said, sitting back in a chair next to his bed. He stretched out lazily and shifted, trying to get comfortable.

Ron got up slowly; his head was still pounding and made his way into the bathroom. He had to lean against the wall to pee with his braced hand. He was uncomfortable, but managed to make it back to his bed without falling on his ass. Charlie was already asleep when he crawled back into the hospital bed. He watched his brother snoring with his mouth open. He grinned. Family, he thought.

Chapter 8--Homecoming

Charlie was eating some of the pastries Sally left the night before when Ron woke up. He could tell it was early, but the sun was up. He stretched out and blinked, his eye adjusting to the morning light.

"Christ, you snore," Charlie said. "I'm glad I fixed your nose."

Ron looked at Charlie bleary-eyed. "Help yourself," he said drolly.

Charlie grinned. He took the last bite and walked around the hospital room. He touched all the interesting gadgets. "Looks a bit like St Mungo's, doesn't it?" he said. He leaned over Ron and touched the small strips that were used to close the cut over his eye.

"That's the coolest thing I've ever seen," he said pushing down hard. Ron winced and slapped his hand away.

The door swung open and both Ron and Charlie looked at the young woman who was coming in with a food tray. She blushed at the attention she was getting.

Charlie smiled his most charming smile. "Hi," he said in a low, sexy voice.

She blushed redder and struggled to put the tray on the little table.

"So you're taking good care of our ickle Ronnikins, are you? He's very special to us and we really appreciate you taking such good care of him." Charlie was leaning in very close to the woman, and she didn't stand a chance. He picked up the identification badge she wore around her neck and read her name. "Adrianna," he said. She smiled and blushed and smoothed her hair.

"You know next week our little Ronnie is going in for that surgery to, you know, get his wanker enlarged. Tragic thing, really. Sad little thing..." He was interrupted when Ron threw a pitcher of ice water at his head. The lid to the pitcher shot off dousing both Charlie and the unfortunate young woman in the face.

Ron and Charlie both were laughing but poor drenched girl ran out of the room.

"Hey, that was uncalled for!" he said laughing hard, throwing the pitcher back at him.

"I'm injured, you arse!" Ron said, trying to look hurt.

Charlie took the cover off the breakfast tray and looked at the food. He wrinkled his nose, but took the container of milk and had it opened and drunk before Ron could stop him. He made a face and looked at the carton. "Two percent? What the fuck is that?"

Ron took the plate of egg and sausages and hung on to them tightly. He made a sandwich from the toast and ate quickly. Once he'd stuffed everything into his mouth, he swiped the paper napkin across his mouth and smiled serenely. "I was hungry," he said.

He looked at his brother. "So why aren't you in Romania?" he asked.

Charlie sat back in the chair after wiping ice and water out of his face and hair. "The wedding, of course," he said, pleasantly.

Ron looked at him strangely. "What wedding?"

"Oh, that's right; you've been gone for almost three fucking years, haven't you? Well, believe it or not the family has managed to move on without you. And despite what we all believed to be an impossibility of nature, our dear brother Percy confunded a very nice looking young witch to abandon all hope and agree to become his bride. The wedding's this Saturday. I think Mum and Dad would love to have you come. Mum was going to tell you all about it when she visited, but..." Charlie looked away.

Ron looked down at his hands. He was feeling ashamed of himself. He cleared his throat. "What else have I missed?"

"Let's see," he pretended to think, "we found out shortly after you left that Angelina Johnson was pregnant with Fred's baby, a little boy; she named him Fred. That was a shocker. And," he sighed heavily, "Fleur and Bill had a baby girl. They named her Victoire. She's about a year old now." He took a picture from the inside of his coat pocket and handed it to Ron.

"She's beautiful," Ron whispered. The picture was of Bill and Fleur holding on to a very cute bouncing baby girl. Her hair was white as snow and her eyes were piercing blue. Charlie took the picture back and looked at it. "She's a sweetie for a drooling stinky little kid."

Ron was very quiet. He looked out the window and couldn't look at Charlie. He had missed so much.

He remained quiet and moody while Charlie ignored him. He was too fascinated with all the gadgets and gizmos in the room. The balloons amused him the most. They were round and in heart shapes with cute 'Get well soon' messages on them. When he finally got bored looking at everything, he sat back down on the chair and put his big feet on the bed. He was reading a muggle newspaper, but it didn't make any sense to him. Finally, he threw it down and cracked his knuckles.

"So, little bro, you were going to explain your plan to me?" Charlie said.

"Oh yeah," Ron said, not as determined as he had been the night before. "I've decided that I'm going to stay here in the muggle world but I'm not going to abandon my magical roots, either."

Charlie looked at him blankly. "That's it?"

Ron reddened. "Yeah, something like that."

Charlie sniffed. "I bet it sounded better in your head."

"What do you mean?" Ron asked. He had obsessed over his decision for days.

"You're going to stay a wizard, but you're going to move in town? I'm assuming you mean you're going to keep working and screwing around, right? You're not going to bring the little muggle girls home are you? Because you're not going to tell them you're a wizard, right? And you'll be home for birthdays and holidays and shit like that."

Ron nodded.

"Shit, that's not so complicated." He shook his head. "Leave it to a moron like you to think you've made an earth shattering decision."

Ron looked angry. "But I really wasn't going to come back at all."

"Oh," Charlie rolled his eyes, "you've broken your mother's heart for almost three fucking years, and this is the best you can come up with?"

"Fuck you, Charlie." He looked away from him.

"No, Ron. Fuck you, you immature little prick. Ickle got him feelings hurt so you ran off. Poor fucking you!"

They both sat in stony silence.

They looked at each other menacingly. "So Angelina had Fred's baby?" he asked.

"Apparently. She moved away, but George talks to her a lot. He's helping her out with stuff. Ugly kid. Looks just like Fred. Shame, too," Charlie said. Wish he looked like Angelina. She's a knockout."

Ron laughed. "I didn't know they were, you know."

Charlie shrugged. "Nobody did. I guess George knew. He wasn't all that surprised at the news.

Charlie looked down at the floor for a second, then looked up. "Look, Ron. After you left, it tore Dad and Bill up. They didn't mean the bullshit they said. Not really. It was a bad time for all of us."

"I know." He sat in silence for a long time. "I realize what a prat I was. What about Harry and Hermione?" he asked.

"Both in school, I reckon. Harry still practically lives at the Burrow. He and Ginny are still "dating". Hermione? God, she's gotten really hot. She told me what she was studying, but I was too busy looking at her arse to pay attention. Healing or law. Who the fuck knows?"

He cleared his throat. "Is she, um, seeing anyone?"

Charlie smiled to himself. "Just me."

Ron looked up quickly. "What?!"

"Yeah, I take her out when I'm in town." He smiled a private smile.

If Charlie had been looking at Ron, he would have seen all the color drain from his face. He clutched the light blanket and held it in a death grip. He was about to say something when the door to his room opened and in popped his friends: Melanie followed by Candace, Derek, David, Sally, Aidan, and Collin. Melanie was carrying another pastry box. She put in on the table and kissed Ron on the cheek.

"Hi, honey," she said cheerily. She saw Charlie.

"Hello," she drawled. "Who are you?"

Charlie extended his hand. "I'm Honey's brother, Charlie. Pleasure." He shook her hand.

"Aren't you gorgeous? Except for the hair you two don't look anything alike." Melanie said.

"I know," said Charlie, "But he looks an awful lot like the guy who delivers the milk."

Melanie laughed, but none of the others seemed to get the joke. "I like you," she said.

The others were busy saying hello to Ron. Sally and Candace seemed to be fighting for his attention. Sally made a big deal of kissing Ron and touching him intimately. Candace gave her a dirty look and kissed Ron on the mouth. Charlie, who was watching them clandestinely, plastered a shit-eating grin on his face. Ron looked at him and Charlie just shook his head.

Ron introduced everyone to this brother.

"So you're the Charlie with all the girlfriends," Collin said after the introductions were made.

Without breaking stride, Charlie said, "Oh yeah." He rolled his eyes at his brother.

"So, Ron hasn't told us much about you. What do you do?" Melanie asked.

"I live in Romania. I work at a drag--" Ron shook his head frantically. "Uh, I work at a wildlife preserve," he said recovering quickly.

Sally asked, "What kind of wildlife?"

"Oh you know, magi--, er, wolves mostly. That sort of thing. Lots of wolves. Some elk. Deer. Rabbits. Snakes. Ferrets. Bunnies. Cows," he said trying to think.

"There are wild cows?" Candace asked.

"Sure," Charlie said smoothly. "Feral cows. Quite vicious."

Ron rolled his eyes again and covered his face with his good hand.

"Guys, I'm going to be taking some time off once the doctor releases me. I hope I'll have my job when I get back," Ron said.

Sally looked distraught. "How long? Where are you going?"

"I'm going to my parents' house for a while until I'm able to come back to work." He held up his braced hand. "I can't be the perfect server with only one hand."

"And unfortunately," Charlie interrupted, "that's his wanking off hand."

"Fuck off, Charlie," Ron said, laughing. "I'm serious."

"Yeah. Seriously," Charlie nodded to the others.

"How long will you be gone?" Sally asked again.

"Maybe just a couple of weeks. We're fast healers," Ron reassured her. "Ill be back."

"Ill miss you," she said sweetly.

"Aw," said Charlie. "Tell you what, sweetheart, why don't you come with us?" He draped his arm around her shoulder.

This time Ron wasn't smiling. He frowned at his brother. "No," he said too quickly and too loudly.

Sally looked hurt, but Candace smiled a sly smile.

"Not this time," he said giving Charlie a very nasty look. "Next time. I promise," he told her.

Ronald's doctor came right after that and the happy group was shushed from the room. Charlie stayed where he was, unintimidated by the doctor. Dr. Singh commented that he couldn't tell that Ron's nose was broken and that he was healing remarkably well. Ron asked him when he could be released and he was told he wanted him to stay one more night since he was making such progress.

After the doctor left, Charlie settled back into the comfortable chair by the bed. Ron could tell he was getting bored, but honestly didn't want him to leave.

"So," Charlie said, "you have a girlfriend?"

"Not really," Ron said, "but Sally thinks she is."

"The ditzy one? Blond?" Charlie asked.

Ron nodded.

"What about the one with the big tits?"

"Melanie. What about her?" Ron asked.

"You slept with her, too?" Charlie asked.

"No," Ron said smugly

Charlie looked at him incredulously.

"She's a lesbian." Ron explained.

"No shit?" Charlie was imagining the possibilities. "Wow. That would have been fun."

Ron laughed.

"You were mugged, right?"

Ron nodded. "Sort of. I think I ran into a drunk and he was pissed about something else. His friends joined in."

"I think we ought to go find them and show them what a wizard can do without laying a hand on them." Charlie grinned at that prospect.

The group came back in and they all went to the roof for a smoke. Charlie couldn't believe his baby brother was smoking. His mother had mentioned it, but he wanted to see that for himself. Ron coughed again when he lit up, but his ribs were feeling much better.

Charlie spent the rest of the day watching Sally and Candace fight over Ron's attention.

"Ron tells us he's from the country," Derek said to Charlie.

Charlie nodded. "Yeah. Ronnie our little country mouse who made it to the city. He seems to like it here."

"He's a good man and a helluva server. He can charm the knickers off anyone."

"A Weasley trait," Charlie said.

"Yeah," said Sally. "It's like he casts a spell over the patrons. They just love him and he gets the biggest tips."

Charlie snorted a laugh. "That's our Ronnie. Casting a spell." No one else could figure out why Charlie found that so amusing.

The group stayed for several hours, only leaving because they had to report to the restaurant. Ron reminded them that he'd probably be released early the next morning and then he and Charlie would be leaving.

"Will we see you before you leave?" Candace asked.

Ron shook his head. Probably not, he told them. He'd be back as soon as possible. They left in a flurry of hugs and kisses and weeping. Charlie was impressed. Once they'd gone, Charlie patted his brother on the back and smiled at him.

"I can see why you didn't want to leave your friends," he said. "They seem really nice."

Ron agreed. "Yeah. They are the most accepting bunch I've ever met. I like them a lot."

The next morning Dr. Singh announced that Ron could leave the hospital. He and Charlie were out the door by ten o'clock. Ron showed Charlie his flat and took his brother to the Blue Ginger for lunch. Candace was extremely excited to see him. He had come to see her and not Sally. She would make sure she told Sally that he dropped in to see her before he left.

Charlie was impressed with the restaurant and the food. He waited patiently while Ron explained to his boss that he need some time off to recover from his injuries. His boss asked him for a telephone number so he could get in touch with him, but Ron told him his parents didn't have a telephone and that he would call them. The people at the restaurant wished him well and said they were looking forward to his return.

Ron packed a small bag with his new clothes and he grabbed his wand. There was nothing in his refrigerator to throw out. He talked to his landlady and paid a month's rent in advance and said he'd probably be back in a week or two.

One more look around, he and Charlie disapparated inside his apartment. They apparated outside the fence at the Burrow. There were a lot of people in the yard getting everything ready for the wedding. He saw his mother from a distance and she looked harried. Percy and his fiancée Audrey were yelling out instructions on where to set things up. Ginny and Harry were helping hang paper lanterns. He recognized George and Arthur running around the yard, playing with a little boy. Must be Fred, he thought. A beautiful black woman was making garlands smiled serenely as she watched them play.

Ron's eyes misted over and he felt a deep pain in his chest. His family was there. Charlie started to go through the gate, but Ron stopped him. He wipes his tears on the back of his hand and gave Charlie a shaky smile. He blew out a loud breath.

Suddenly, his mother looked up and saw him. She let out a shriek and the whole family turned to look. They dropped what they were doing and ran to him, enveloping him with their love. Arthur picked up baby Fred and walked over to Ron. He had a strange look on his face and Ron recognized the yearning because he felt the same way. He reached out and embraced his father.

"I'm so sorry, Dad," he said, crying openly now. "I should have never run away."

"Forgive me, son," Arthur said, weeping.

"There nothing to forgive, Dad, I was wrong. I'm so sorry I put you and Mum through hell."

Molly was by his side, reaching out to him. He kissed his face and held her in her arms.

Ronald Weasley had come home.