The first thought that came into Ronâs mind when he woke up was, Morning already? He wasnât ready to wake up yet. He was really enjoying the warmth of the sun on his face. He yawned, another thought entering, unbidden. âIâm starting school today,â he said in a quiet whisper as his heart thudded to a stop. âIâm finally going to Hogwarts.â He pulled the cover up over his head and groaned. He wasnât ready.
I know, he told himself as butterflies started to dance in his stomach. Iâll go back to sleep and when I wake up itâll be yesterday. Yesterday was a good day. He smiled at this plan and closed his eyes, resolute to fall back asleep. Not five seconds later, there was a creak outside his door, and then another. He peeked out from under his blanket and watched with a sinking feeling as the handle turned and the door swung open to reveal Ginny, dressed and ready to go.
âRon?â she whispered, tip-toeing to his bed. âRon? Arenât you up yet? Ron, itâs nearly eight oâclock. If we arenât ready to leave by nine, youâre going to miss the train.â
She was standing next to the bed already and Ron knew the battle was lost. He mumbled something incoherent and turned to the wall. Ginny sighed heavily and Ron didnât have to see her to know her hands were on her hips when she said loudly, âRON! You have to get up now! NOW!â
âGo away,â he grumbled, pulling the cover tighter around himself, hoping to drown her out. She pulled the pillow out from under him angrily and received an annoyed âGinny!â for it.
She growled, stamping her foot as Ron tried to bury himself even deeper into his mattress. âYou listen to me, Ronald Weasley,â she said in an authoritative tone. âToday is September first. The train is leaving in two hours and Mum wants you out of bed now! But,â she continued slowly, âif you really want, you can miss the train, skip Hogwarts and stay home. You can spend the rest of your life having tea-parties with me until I go andâ“â
Ron knew she was just trying to get him up; Ginny had never touched tea or a doll in her life. âIâm up!â he shouted, shooting up anyway. âIâm up,â he repeated, glaring at her. âNow leave!â
âButâ“â
âLeave!â Ron roared. âYou want me to get dressed, donât you?â
âFine!â Ginny huffed, flouncing from the room and slamming the door. Ron waited until he heard her yelling at the twins before rolling out of his bed. He wasnât going to get out of it for another year. He grabbed the most Muggle-like clothes he owned and ran bare-foot down the stairs. He arrived a total of three seconds before Percy, who was sauntering down the hallway.
About to shut the door, he heard Percy say in a superior tone, âPrefectâs rights Ron, I get the bathroom first.â
Ron knew that that wasnât true; prefects in Hogwarts had rights to their own bathroom and showers. They had no rights to any other bathroom first. And even if they would have, they werenât in Hogwarts, were they? They were in the Burrow and he already had the water running. He left it to get hot before picking up his toothbrush and slathering it with toothpaste, beginning to brush. Heâd have to remember to pack it.
He spit the lather into the sink, watching it spiral down the drain. He stripped off his pajamas and stepped into the shower, goose-bumps rising on his skin as the steam hit him. He washed at lightening speed, just long enough to pass his motherâs inspection, and rinsed off the suds.
He shut the water off and leaned out of the shower to grab a towel. He wrapped it around himself, shivering in the cold air before drying himself off quickly, and pulled on his clothes: a tee shirt and a pair of denim jeans that felt as alien as they looked. He combed his hair, parting it neatly down the middle. He took one last look in the mirror and, satisfied, opened the door.
âYou arenât done already, are you?â Percy asked. He had been leaning against the wall, but was now looking at Ron with a mixed look of shock and distaste.
âYeah?â Ron answered, shrugging.
âHow could you possibly be clean? You were hardly in there for five minutes!â
âSo?â
Percyâs eyes went, if possibly, even wider.
âMorning Fred!â Ron said as the twin emerged from his room.
âMorning Ron,â he answered cheerfully. âMorning Percy!Nervous, Ron?â
âFor what?â
âThe Sorting. How do you think you get placed in a House? You donât just pick, you know.â
âYou donât?â
âNuh uh. Iâd be nervous if I was you.â
âYou would?â Ron asked, the butterflies that had finally started quieting down, starting up again.
âYep,â Fred answered, and walked into the bathroom, locking the door behind himself. âIt hurts, doesnât it?â
This new bit information made Ron so nervous he couldnât even laugh when Percy let out a wail at having lost the bathroom again.
âYou okay?â his mother asked when he walked into the kitchen a few minutes later.
He mumbled something in answer as she waved her wand at various cupboards and cabinets. Food flew out to the counter and started arranging themselves into sandwiches.
âAre Bill and Charlie coming to see us off?â Ron asked after a moment.
âHmm? Oh, no, I donât think so, dear. Charlieâs leg is still aching him and Bill is exhausted. Remember, theyâre both still getting used to the time difference. Itâs bound to be a few days before theyâre back to their usual selves.
âOh.â
âDisappointed?â she asked sympathetically.
âNah,â he said with a shrug. âItâs not a big deal.â
âIt is a big deal,â she disagreed. âBut if youâre fine with it, I wonât push them; they need the lie-in. Now, are you completely packed?â
âUh huh,â he said, nodding.
âWhereâs Scabbers?â
âUpstairs. Sleeping.â
âStill?â she asked, raising an eyebrow. âWe should have taken him to Diagon Alley to have him checked out. Would you like me to take him for you?â
Ron shrugged. âNo, itâs okay. I want to bring him with me. Besides, heâs a just a rat. How long should he last anyway?â
âIt doesnât matter. If heâs not doing, well...more by the end of the year weâll have him checked out, okay?â
Ron shrugged again as his mother turned to look at the kitchen clocks. Ron followed her gaze and smiled. He loved their clock. He remembered his father once telling him that Muggle clocks had only three hands and twelve numbers and he had wondered since then how such a clock could be useful. Now their clock, that was something useful. Instead of the three hands and numbers his father claimed were on a Muggle clock, theirs had nine hands and no numbers.
Each hand was engraved with one of the Weasleyâs names and instead of numbers, there were names of places they might be. Home, school and work were there, as well as hospital, prison, in trouble, and at the very top, mortal peril. A smaller clock stood beside it, also missing numbers. But instead of places written on its face, there was something more along the lines of a to-do list. All around it were written things like: Time to make tea, Time to feed the chickens and Youâre late.â Right now, the hand on the clock was not only pointing to âYouâre lateâ but it was beginning to vibrate as well.
He didnât even wait for his mother to say anything, just started straight back for the stairs, taking them three at a time and yelled on the landing, âWEâRE LATE!â
They reached Kingâs Cross Station at half past ten, thanks in large part to Floo Powder, which had let them out of a grate right inside the station in a place they wouldnât be noticed. Their father helped them get their trunks onto trolleys and then quickly Apparated away to work, the apology still leaving his lips as he vanished.
Clearly annoyed that she was to see them off on her own, their mother marched through the station, forcing the four boys and Ginny into a run after her. They passed hundreds of Muggle men and women, rushing and crushing past them without a second glance. Between following their mother and weaving through people, Percyâs trolley fell over, and they finally caught passers-by eyes as Hermes began to screech, locked in his cage which was rolling towards the tracks. Ron went running after it and caught him, but Hermes bit him anyway. By the time he got back, the trolley had been up-righted with the trunk back on it with the help of spell from his mother.
As they got further and deeper into the station, she became more and more annoyed, muttering under her breath. âThis is idiotic Packed with Muggles As if they couldnât do anything about it â
Ron glanced around at the Muggles surrounding them, his eyes falling on a boy standing just a few feet behind them, looking rather lost. He was shorter than Ron, with messy black hair and startling green eyes half-hidden behind a pair of glasses. There was a trolley in front of him with a trunk on it. But it was the beautiful, snowy white owl resting on top of it that gave him away.
Ron nudged Fred, pointing the boy out. âWonder why heâs alone,â he said quietly.
Fred gave the boy a careful look. âHowâs he going to get his stuff on the train?â
âMaybeâ“â Ron started, but their mother stopped him.
âNow, whatâs that platform number?â she asked. It was a sign of how frazzled she was that she had to; Hogwarts Express was leaving from Platform Nine and three quarters, just like it did every other year for as far back as any of them could remember.
Ginny piped up with the answer, pulling on their motherâs hand. âMum, canât I goâ“â
âYouâre not old enough Ginny, now be quiet,â came the quick answer. âAll right Percy, you go first.â
Ron watched Percy march to the barrier between Platforms Nine and Ten. Just as he reached it, a swarm of Muggles blocked him from view and by the time the last person had passed, Percy was gone.
âFred, you next,â she continued, turning to one of the twins.
âIâm not Fred, Iâm George,â he answered. âHonestly woman, you call yourself our mother? Canât you tell Iâm George?â
Ron stifled a laugh.
âSorry, George, dear,â she replied, swallowing a yawn. It was another mark of how tired she was that she had believed him.
âOnly joking, I am Fred,â Fred said and hurried off to the barrier. George called after him to hurry up, and he did, because when Ron finished blinking, Fred was gone and George was heading quickly to the barrier. He was about to walk into the brick wall and then...quite suddenly...he wasnât.
He saw his motherâs arm come up to push him forward. He took the first step before she had to force him and then a question came out of the air.
âExcuse me?â
Ron, Ginny and Mrs. Weasley turned around. The boy with the messy black hair was just behind them, looking very nervous.
âHullo dear,â his mother answered kindly. âFirst time at Hogwarts? Ronâs new, too,â she added, indicating him.
âYes,â the boy answered, and Ron was nearly sure his voice shook as he said, âThe thing isâ“ the thing is, I donât know how toâ“â
âHow to get onto the platform?â she finished for him with a smile and he nodded. âNot to worry,â she continued. âAll you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Donât stop and donât be scared youâll crash into it, thatâs very important. Best to do it at a bit of a run if youâre nervous. Go on, go now before Ron.â
âErrâ“okay,â the boy said, looking doubtful.
He pushed his trolley around, staring at the barrier. He started at it slowly, people bumping into him on their way to the other platforms and he started to walk faster, with more purpose and people were starting to get out of his way now. For a second he looked like he was going to crash into the ticket box. He was going to fast; he wouldnât be able to stop. Ron thought he had lost control of the trolley, and he closed his eyes, bracing himself for the crash. It never came.
âOh good â his mother said. âI wasnât sure he would make it.â She looked thoughtful. âI wonder why the poor boy was alone. Who are his parents, sending a first year off on his own?â She sighed. âYour turn,â she said, nodding at Ron.
âIâll see you on the other side then,â he answered with a gulp, nodding.
He placed his hands on the handlebars of the trolley and he knew he was sweating because they slid right off. He wiped his hands on his pants, gripped the handles of the trolley again and starting towards the barrier. It wasnât the first time heâd be going through the trolley, but he wouldnât be coming back out of it for another year this time, and the reason why was making him nervous.
And he didnât know what to expect. The twins had told him, of course, as had the rest of his brothers and his parents, but they had all told him something else. Bill had tried giving him a head-start on Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts; Charlie had suggested the best moves for Quidditch, assuming for some reason that Ron was going to try out for his House team even though first years weren't allowed to; and the twins had started telling him about secret passageways before Percy had interrupted to tell him about which classes were the most important and why. He had personally spent his time getting more nervous, more worried, lost in his thoughts and terror until heâ“
âWhat are you trying to do?â a voice said sharply as a hand grabbed the back of his shirt.
âTrying to make yourself part of the train, are you?â George asked.
Ron turned around to face the twins; he had gone through the barrier without even realizing it Wizards and witches acted freely on this side of it, followed by their children. Here were magical folk like Ron knew them: in robes and pointed hats, talking about the latest news in the wizarding world with no fear of being found out. Wizarding folk didnât tend to gather in large groups often and the closest Ron had even seen to this many witches and wizards was when his family got together. It stunned him every time.
As did the sight of the huge scarlet train in front of him. A huge sign behind him proclaimed the Hogwarts Express and the time (nearly eleven now) over an iron archway, declaring itself as Platform Nine and Three Quarters. He turned back around to face the train he had nearly walked into.
Fred waved a hand in front of Ron. âHello? You plan on getting that trunk on by yourself?â he asked.
âI could probably use a little help,â Ron said, remembering how hard it had been to get the trunk down the steps, even after his mother had spelled it to weigh less.
Between the three of them, they managed to get the trunk on the train without killing one another. They made sure it was secure and then hopped off the train, spotting their mother and Ginny. George veered off half-way there and Ron looked at Fred, who shrugged. He walked over to the black-haired boy they had seen earlier and they watched as the boy dropped his trunk on his foot twice before George reached him. George asked him something, nodded and then turned around. He cupped his hands around his mouth and hollered, âOy, Fred! Câmere and help!â
Fred shrugged and ran off to help them, leaving Ron to walk over to his mother alone.
âTrunkâs on board?â she asked. âWhere have the twins run off to now?â
âTheyâre helping that boy get his trunk on the train.â
âOh. Alright then.â She spent the next few minutes looking anxiously up at the clock before yelling for them.
âComing Mum,â they answered from the train, hopping off, big smiles on their faces.
Ron was going to ask what they were so happy about, but his mother made a sudden grab for him. âRon, youâve got something on your nose,â she said, pulling out a tissue.
He tried to turn away, but she grabbed him and started rubbing his nose.
âMum!â he yelled, horrified and embarrassed.
âGeroff!â he said fiercely, breaking free.
âAaah, has ickle Ronnie got somefink on his nosie?â Fred asked with a purely evil smile.
âShut up,â Ron said darkly.
âWhereâs Percy?â their mother asked, completely ignoring them.
âHeâs coming now,â George answered, pointing her where Percy was indeed striding into sight. He had already changed into his black Hogwarts robes and his silver prefect badge was pinned in place as well, polished to perfection and glittering in the bright sunlight.
âCanât stay long Mother,â he said pompously as he reached them. âIâm up front. The prefects have got two compartments to themselvesâ“â
âOh, are you a prefect?â Fred said in mock surprise. âYou should have said something; we had no idea.â
âHang on, I think I remember him saying something about it,â George cut in. âOnceâ“â
âTwiceâ“â
âA minuteâ“â
âAll summerâ“â
âOh shut up,â Percy said.
âHow come Percy gets new robes anyway,â Fred asked for what must have been the thousandths time since they had gotten back from their school shoppingâ“nearly two weeks ago already.
âBecause heâs a prefect,â their mother answered fondly, just like she had for the last two weeks as well, having long given up arguing with any of them. âAll right dear, well, have a good term. Send me an owl when you get there.â She kissed him on the cheek and he marched back to the train. She turned on the twins suddenly.
âNow, you twoâ“this year, you behave yourselves. If I get one more letter telling me youâveâ“blown up a toilet orâ“â
âBlown up a toilet? Weâve never blown up a toilet.â
âGreat idea though, thanks Mum.â
âItâs not funny,â she said, shaking a finger at them. âAnd look after Ron.â
âDonât worry, ickle Ronniekins is safe with us.â
âShut up,â Ron said again, blushing as a pale blonde boy passed them with his mother and father. He looked Ron over, a sneer on his face, and then walked by without another word. Ron wanted the train to run him over.
âHey, Mum, guess what? Guess who we just met on the train â George said suddenly.
âYou know the black-haired who was near us at the station?â Fred continued, nearly bouncing with excitement. âKnow who he is?â
âWho?â she asked warily.
âHarry Potter!â the twins chorused.
Ronâs ears started buzzing, so he wasnât quite sure if he heard Ginny ask if their mother if she could go on the train to see him. She said something sternly to Ginny. âIs he really?â she asked Fred. âHow do you know?â
âAsked him. Saw his scar. Itâs really thereâ“ like lightening.â
Ron wanted to hit himself. He knew that Harry Potter was about his own age; everyone in the wizarding world knew how old Harry was.
Harry had disappeared ten years ago and there had been speculation ever since the night he defeated the Dark Lord. It had taken till about four years to die down; needing that long for the newspapers to get sick of re-printing the same information over and over again: stating that no one knew where he was followed by rumors about which people actually did know. No one had been able to find him and now, now that Harry Potter had obviously rejoined the wizarding world, there were sure to be hundreds of people whoâd want to talk to him, become his best friend, make him their next obsession. And that didnât include the hidden supporterâs of You-Know-Who that were sure to want to get back at him.
ââ“do you think he remembers what You-Know-Who looks like?â he heard Fred asked.
Mrs. Weasley suddenly became very grim. âI forbid you to ask him, Fred. No, donât you dare,â she added as Fred opened his mouth to protest. She shook her head. âAs though he needs reminding of that on his first day at school.â
âAll right, keep your hair on,â George said, sounding so sorry Ron knew he wouldnât ask.
A whistle pierced the air suddenly and the already hectic platform was thrown into a panic.
âHurry up!â their mother said as the three of them rushed onto the train. They all leaned out the window to kiss her good-bye when Ginny suddenly burst into tears.
This was so unlike her that they were stunned for a moment before remembering that she would be home alone this year.
âDonât, Ginny,â Ron almost begged. âWeâll send you loads of owls,â he promised.
âWeâll send a Hogwarts toilet seat â
âGeorge!â
âOnly joking, Mum,â George said, smiling broadly.
The train jerked to a start and Ron watched his mother wave as Ginny, stuck somewhere between laughing and crying, started to run after the train, doing her best to keep up with it. When it started going too fast for it, she fell back, waving until the train turned a bend and she disappeared.
A/N: Hope you all liked it! Nah, I hope you all LOVED it!