Royals

1|

                                                                     
1

Ron Weasley always hated to come home.

His silent dusty flat always gave him an eerie feeling. Even at home he was always on guard, his hand secured tightly around his wand prepared for anyone who would jump out from the shadows and attack him. He quickly and wordlessly cast protective charms over his flat. They had become a ritual for him now, without casting them his mind simply would not rest.

Begrudgingly he made his way over to his bed, threw his robes across the floor and climbed in. Though just like every other night, he would get no sleep. Tossing and turning, he eventually gave up trying and got up. He made his way into his living room and switched on the lamp, the yellow light blinding his vision. Several years ago, he would have simply laughed at using muggle items, but now it was the norm for him, he preferred them as to casting spells. Dipping his quill in the ink, he began to cross out ex- death eaters whose fate he had determined. Even after all those years and all those deaths, his thirst was still not quenched. Going through the rest of the files he contemplated his next move and doing so did sleep finally overtake him.

* *  *

"Ronald, RONALD WEASLEY," blared through the fireplace.

Ron let out a quiet curse, before he turned on his back. But before he could close his eyes and let sleep overtake him, the voice yelled again, "RONALD BILIUS WEASLEY YOU GET UP RIGHT THIS INSTANCE OR ELSE."

Then there was complete silence, the silent threat lingering in the air. This time Ron didn't try to hide his irritation and let out a string of curse words. Taking his time he got up, and headed to the bathroom. His bloodshot eyes stared back at him, his reflection cold and emotionless. After changing, he collected his wand and headed to the fireplace. Taking some floo powder, he spoke clearly, "The Burrow."

The Burrow was noisy as always on Sunday mornings as everyone gathered for brunch. Once he would have loved it, he could never really say no to food. But now he would rather be anywhere but here, the memories of this place haunting him. The loud chatter always gave Ron a pounding headache, and the constant lectures from his mother irritated him to no end.

"Ronald nice of you to finally turn up," stated Mrs Weasley disapprovingly with a spatula in hand. "We're all in the kitchen, if you'd like to join us." And with that she turned on her heel and marched off. Left with no choice but to put up with his family for a few hours, he followed her inside.

Suddenly, a brown bush attacked him, engulfing him in a hug. "It's been so long Ron, where have you been?" questioned Hermione.

"Yeah mate, you've just disappeared. I can't even track you down at the Ministry," inquired Harry.

"You know just things."

The room fell silent after that. To cut through the tension, Mr Weasley chirpily voiced, "Now that everyone's here we can finally dig in!"

The lunch was awkward and silent, small talk was made here and there but no one once spoke directly to Ron, afraid that they would say something wrong, something to cause him to leave. They were just glad that he was finally with them. Ron could hardly eat, he could constantly feel glances his way and hushed whispers about him. The atmosphere was suffocating and he found it hard to breathe. He pushed his food around his plate, sometimes nibbling, but he could hardly digest it. The sight of food now made him nauseous, he would have been content with a glass of chilled water.

After eating, they all made their way to the living room. The tattered sofas that once gave him a sense of comfort, now stared back as foreign objects. He couldn't wait to get back to his dingy flat. Mrs Weasley and Ginny finally brought out tea. Though unbeknown to him, dried tear tracks could be seen on Mrs Weasley's face as Ginny had a comforting arm around her.