Growing Up Weasley

Chapter Three ~ Leaving and Remembering

She moved to stand face to face with him. Tenderly she caressed his cheek with her hand as she kissed him softly. She pulled back. "I do understand Ron, why you need to leave. It can't have been easy, growing up in the shadows of someone all your life. Go then, and come back as the man I'm going to marry."

"Oh, Hermione," Ron said huskily before he kissed her tenderly, pouring all of his love into this one kiss, as if it may be the last time he would be lucky enough to kiss her.

"Oi Ron! It's time to get up! Train leaves in less than two hours!" Harry exclaimed, trying to get his friend up as he finished packing.

"Come off it. It's too early," Ron mumbled, clearly not yet awake.

"Ron, there's a spider on your bed," Harry said into Ron's ear.

"Spider? Where?" Ron jolted awake, looking terrified. When he saw his roommates laughing at him, he realized there was no spider on his bed. He scowled. "Very funny Harry."

Harry laughed. "Sorry Ron. It was the only way we could wake you up. Train leaves in less than two hours."

"Alright, alright. I'm up." 'That dream cinched it for me. I have to go see Professor Lupin for that portkey,' he thought, silently. Ron got out of bed and headed to the showers, taking his clothes for the day with him. Twenty minutes later, he emerged, ready for the day.

"Harry already went down for breakfast," Neville said, noticing Ron looking for his friend.

Ron nodded in understanding. "That's probably for the best. I have a few things to do before I head down." Neville nodded and he too headed downstairs. With that, Ron started to check the room and his trunk to make sure he wasn't forgetting anything. Ron looked around his room with a tinge of sadness.

"No, I'm just trading one adventure for another. I'm merely starting a whole new adventure," he berated himself silently. He continued to look through his trunk, ticking off each item on his mental list. When he was satisfied he wasn't missing anything, he shut his trunk. He floated his things to the entrance hall where the house elves would retrieve them and get them to the train. Then he made his way up to Professor Lupin's office.

"The Institute," he said, looking at the gargoyle expectantly.

The stone gargoyle moved to reveal the stairs leading to the office.

"Hello Mr. Weasley," Professor Lupin stated, without a glance at Ron.

Ron took a deep breath. "I want the portkey. My family and friends will understand. They may not like that I'm leaving without telling them, but if I tell them I'll never leave."

"Very well. And for what it's worth, I think you're doing the right thing for you. I believe if you were to stay, you might eventually start to resent those around you. While I may not believe that you need to find yourself, you believe that you do and that's all that matters." Remus reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a bottle cap. "Here is your portkey. The activator is written on this piece of paper. It is set so that I will know when it is activated. Once you activate yours, I will activate mine and speak with your friends and family. When you reach The Institute, you will find yourself in Headmaster Rankin's office. He will introduce you to the current Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. For the next year, you will essentially be his assistant while you brush up on your dark creatures and learn the ropes, so to speak."

Ron nodded slowly, taking everything in. "Alright, I've got all of that." He pulled three letters from his pocket. "Would you give these to Harry, Ginny, and Hermione after I have left? I'd do it myself, but I'd rather they not expect anything's out of the ordinary."

"That's not a problem. I'll be by in a week or so to pay you a visit."

"Oh, and if Professor Snape should ask what I decided, it's alright to tell him I've left and how to get in touch with me. He and I had a rather interesting conversation yesterday and I promised him I'd either tell him myself or let you know that it was alright to tell him."

Remus chuckled quietly. "Ok Ron." Then he sobered. "I know your family is going to ask me to carry letters for you. I don't mind, but is that alright with you?"

Ron sighed morosely. "Not at first. Eventually, I suppose, but not right away. Reading their letters before I get settled in is just going to make me want to come home. Maybe later. Later, I might even allow owl post, but for right now I need to completely disappear," he said, more to himself rather than the man before him.

"Alright Ron. Tell you what, I'll deliver the news to Severus myself this morning before the train leaves. That way, he can seek you out if he so desires. As such, I must wish you luck on your search." Ron nodded in understanding and left Professor Lupin's office. He quickly made his way to the Great Hall after checking his pocket for the portkey and piece of paper. He smiled when he felt them in his pocket. He entered the Great Hall and walked over to the Gryffindor table where his friends were sitting.

"Hey Ron!" Ginny called. "Where have you been? We expected you twenty minutes ago."

Ron smiled. "I had something to take care of. Nothing terribly important," he said, trying to avoid the questioning stares. He then switched topics in an effort to fend off any questions. "Where are you going once you get off the train Harry?"

Harry grinned widely. "Rosalind is picking me up at the station. She and I are going to pick out a house together. Grimmauld Place holds too many memories of Sirius for her to handle on a regular basis. But being my Godmother, she's insisting that I live with her now. I also think that Remus, excuse me Professor Lupin, is going to join us for a few weeks later in the holiday."

"So, where are you staying while you look for a house then?" Hermione asked.

"I'm actually not entirely sure," Harry began. "I would assume Grimmauld Place, but like I said, that place holds far too many memories of Sirius for the two of us to handle. What with the war and all, neither of us had much time to come to terms with the memories locked in that house."

"So Ron, what are your plans for the summer?" Harry asked knowingly.

Ron gulped slightly. "Probably just hang around the Burrow as I decide what to do with my life."

"Taking any trips over the summer?" his best mate asked.

Ron shook his head, hating to lie to his friend. "No, I'm going to stay put for the summer. Oh, I might head into London and visit the twins or visit you two. Though at some point I ought to look for a flat. I'd rather not live at the Burrow for the rest of my days."

"I'd like to find a flat of my own too," Hermione commented. "Preferably in the magical section of London."

Ron laughed. "Of course you would. You're Hermione Granger."

"Hey! What do you mean by that?" she asked indignantly.

Ron smirked innocently. "Nothing, my dear Hermione."

She threw her hands up in frustration. "Fine, be that way! I'm going to say goodbye to Professor McGonagall. I'll catch up with you when it's time to head to the carriages."

"Hey guys, I'm going to take a walk before going to the carriages. I'll meet up with you guys when it's time to leave." And with that, Ron was gone.

"Something's up with Ron, Ginny," Harry commented softly.

Ginny looked at him sharply. "What do you mean?"

"I think Ron plans to run. Maybe Perhaps not today, but sometime soon. As to why, I'm not sure." He said, staring at the direction in which Ron had disappeared.

Her eyes widened at the thought. "You really think he'd do that?" she asked anxiously.

"I do, I really do," he answered looking worried.

*~*~*~*

Once he left the Great Hall, Ron headed towards Professor Snape's office. He wanted to personally tell his old professor the news of his decision. It was several minutes before he reached his destination, as he had to weave his way through the throng of students. Professor Snape's office door was open, so he rapped lightly on the door to gain the attention of his former professor. "Professor Snape," Ron said quietly.

Professor Snape looked up from whatever he was doing. "Mr. Weasley, do come in and sit down."

Ron came into the office and sat down in the chair provided. "I decided since I had the time, I'd come and tell you my decision myself. I am, in fact, going to leave today. If my family and friends really love me, they'll understand. They'll understand that I need to discover what kind of man I am."

"For what it's worth Mr. Weasley, I understand needing to discover yourself and create your own identity separate from those around you. Perhaps if I had decided to do the same when I was your age, I might never have joined the Death Eaters. It takes a good man to realize he doesn't have all the answers to life's questions. It takes a wise man to begin searching for those answers within himself."

Ron realized his potions professor had just paid him a high compliment. "Thank you sir. I must be going. I'd rather my friends not get suspicious. You spoke yesterday of visiting at The Institute. I don't know the coordinates for apparating or creating a portkey, but Professor Lupin does so feel free to ask him. He knows it's alright to tell you."

"I will ask him then. Look to my visit in the coming weeks. Until then, Mr. Weasley," Professor Snape said as Ron left his office.

Ron pushed his way through the crowd of people as he walked quickly up to the entrance hall. It wasn't difficult to find his friends. All he had to do was look for his sister's brilliant red hair. She was standing with Hermione and Harry, and they were obviously waiting for him before they went down to the carriages.

"Hey guys," Ron waved as he weaved his way through the crowd to his friends.

"Hi Ron," Ginny said.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go down to the carriages," Ron grinned.

"We were waiting for you, you big oaf," Ginny said, punching Ron in the shoulder.

"Hey! What was that for?" Ron cried.

Ginny smiled innocently. "Waiting for you, dear brother."

"Are you two done yet? We really ought to be headed down to the carriages," Hermione commented.

Harry laughed. "That's Hermione for you. Always making sure we're where we're supposed to be." The four of them made they way down to the carriages, laughing all the way. Thirty minutes later they were seated in a compartment on the train.

"Well, here we go. Our last ride on the Hogwarts Express," Ron commented as the train pulled out of Hogsmeade Station.

"It is a little strange. Almost feels like I'm leaving home," Harry commented with a far away look on his face.

"That's not so odd really Harry. The Dursley's have never been home for you. Instead Hogwarts has always filled that void for you. However, now you're going to create a new home with Rosalind," Hermione explained.

Harry was going to answer Hermione when Ginny yawned. "Remus warned me you'd probably sleep during the train ride," he said.

Ginny smiled wanly at her boyfriend as he motioned to his lap. She laid her head down in his lap. Harry began to run his hands through her long, fiery red hair to relax her and allow her to sleep. It was merely minutes before she was fast asleep.

"Why does she sleep so much?" Ron asked.

"I assume you know she's an alicia castellanus right? Harry asked. Ron nodded.

"From what she and Remus have explained, her brain works a little differently than yours and mine. In general, she processes magic better than we do. So much better, in fact, that she can create spells in hours rather than months. She already has a guaranteed job in the ministry. Because she understands magic better, she can better explain spells and thus teach them. Anyhow, there are times when her magic gets out of control. When that happens, her brain is subconsciously creating a new spell. In this case, her magic went crazy earlier in the week. When she went to sleep last night, her brain didn't shut down. Instead it went into overdrive. So when she woke up this morning, it was like she had been asleep for an hour or so instead of seven or eight. In the next few days, she'll be ready to diagram the spell and figure out how to teach it depending on what the spell does. Remus told me that it should be a fairly powerful spell, but I don't understand how he knows that."

"I never knew all that," Ron said, amazed.

"Honestly, Ron. She's your only sister. I would have thought you'd know everything about being an alicia castellanus," Hermione scolded.

Ron put his hands up in surrender. "I know I should be better up to date about it. I don't really have a good excuse as to why I'm not."

Harry grinned. "It's alright Ron, I understand you were busy with a certain Head Girl. And I know Ginny understands too."

"Harry!" Hermione cried. Then she blushed. "Even if he and I were busy, that's no excuse."

Harry laughed at his two friends before sobering. "I worry sometimes that it takes too much out of her. I really wonder if next year might be too much for her. The three of us had enough problems with studying for N.E.W.T.s, and she has the alicia castellanus business to deal with too. I know Remus will be looking out for her, but I still worry a little bit."

"She knows how far to push herself Harry. I'm sure she'll even start studying ahead of time. Plus, she understands magic better than we do. That's bound to help her," Hermione commented softly as not to wake Ginny. After Hermione's comments, the three friends were silent for quite awhile.

Harry was the one to break the comfortable silence. "I don't thing I've ever told you just how much you mean to me. I don't think I would have made it through Hogwarts without you two," Harry stated. "You two are my closest friends and I don't tell you that nearly enough."

"Oh Harry!" Hermione cried. "You may not have said it, but we know it just the same, don't we Ron?" She poked him in the ribs when he didn't answer right away.

"Yeah, we know," Ron said gruffly.

Harry grinned at his two friends. "And between the three of us, she's also one of the best things to happen to me," he said pointing at Ginny, who was still asleep in his lap.

*~*~*~*

The three friends spent the rest of their last journey on the Hogwarts Express reminiscing over their Hogwarts days. They laughed over their mistaken conclusions their first year. They grimaced over Harry and Ron's stupid decision to fly the car to school and then head into the Forbidden Forest to follow the spiders. "You should've seen the look on Ron's face," Harry said, laughing heartily and looking and the pitiful look on Ron's face. Harry grinned widely when they got to third year and he discovered he had family. His joy was so great, in fact, that it cancelled out the grief he felt over letting Wormtail escape. They turned sober as they remembered their fourth year, and the death of their classmate, Cedric Diggory.

The Gryffindor Trio shuddered as they remembered Umbridge and the fiasco that was the Department of Mysteries. Harry's face took on a lost look as he remembered losing his Godfather to the veil in the Department of Mysteries. Of course, then the looks were unreadable when they remembered the stupidity of Cornelius Fudge. After all, it was his stupidity and arrogance that ultimately got him killed the summer after their fifth year.

After he was kidnapped and killed by Death Eaters, Professor Dumbledore gave his support to Arthur Weasley and the wizarding world finally had a minister willing to do whatever it took to stop Voldemort. They remembered the sadness at the number of deaths during their sixth year. That year, the realities of war came to Hogwarts as students lost families and friends to Death Eater attacks. The trio remembered with frightening clarity when Harry was kidnapped just after their sixth year. He was kidnapped and forced to duel with Voldemort. This time, when their wands connected, Harry focused on all the love in his life and forced the magic back to Tom's wand. The ancient power of love combined with the killing curse that Voldemort had cast were enough to do him in--for good this time. And finally, they remembered the announcement that Professor Dumbledore was retiring as Headmaster of Hogwarts and he had chosen his successor as none other than Remus Lupin.

It wasn't long before the Hogwarts Express reached the station. Harry gently tapped Ginny's shoulder. "Gin, we're here," he said, trying to wake her.

She smiled sleepily at him. "Hi." She yawned. "Was I really out all that time?" Harry nodded. She sat up and looked out the window.

Harry nodded. "I'm not really surprised. Remus warned me you would probably sleep the whole train ride." The train came to a stop and the four friends waited before leaving their compartment in an effort to avoid the crush. They weren't quite so lucky, but by waiting, the crush wasn't as jostling.

"We'd better find our trunks and then our families, though it seems that won't be easy. The platform seems more crowded than usual for some reason," Hermione mused.

"Come on, let's go find our trunks and our families. I want to see Rosalind," Harry exclaimed, obviously excited about seeing his Godmother and younger sister of Remus Lupin. Ron was quiet, knowing that his silence wouldn't be noticed in the commotion. Along with his friends, he hurried to find his trunk.

"You coming Ron?" Hermione asked after she'd found her stuff.

"Give me a minute, 'Mione," he replied calmly, though his palms were sweating. She nodded, believing that he needed a little time to adjust to the reality of leaving Hogwarts behind. She, along with Harry and Ginny, went to find the Weasleys.

Hands shaking, Ron pulled out the portkey and the piece of paper with the activator. He grabbed hold of his trunk, and took an excited Pigwidgeon and cage in his hand, and with a single word he was gone.

Many miles away, Headmaster of Hogwarts Remus Lupin activated his own portkey and readied himself to answer the many questions that the family of Ronald Weasley would have.