That's Ace {Fourth book in The 'I am Who?' Series}

Chapter 8

The sparks from his fingers had disappeared. Ace had tried a lot of different things to try and make even the littlest spit of light trickle from his fingertips. Nothing happened. He tried for weeks, he even tried kissing Wendy again, but that didn't work either. Needless to say, Wendy and he was no more. Well, there wasn't really a 'Wendy and him'. Instead, he started to change little things about him, starting with what he ate then searching in the library for a book on spells. He found the right one and got straight to work the night before now, he had changed his hair colour. He was no longer recognisable as a Weasley, he was no longer ginger. Ace was now a brunette and boy did he not give a toss about what anyone else was to think. He knew it most probably wouldn't have an effect on the sparks but he also wanted the change. He was sick of being a redhead. Or so he thought he was. He didn't really know what he felt anymore. He just felt sort of...numb?

It was now Christmas and Ace was nowhere near excited. He didn't want to go home. He didn't want Christmas, unlike usual when he couldn't wait for the festive period. of course, he had brought his family gifts but he didn't want to celebrate it himself. He knew he had to go home if he didn't go home neither would his siblings and he knew how much they wanted to see their parents. He decided to just suck it up and stay out of the way over the course of the holidays. 

Sluggishly, he made his way onto the train with Sam by his side who was talking aimlessly about how he and his parents were going to spend the holidays and how much he couldn't wait to see his grandparents, along with some other things that Ace wasn't actually listening to. "What about you, mate, what are you hoping for?" Sam questioned him as the train started up. 

"I dunno, I don't really care either." He replied pulling his knees up to his chest and leaning his head on the window. 

Sam's face fell, "What's going on, Ace, seriously you've been acting really weird this year and it's actually scaring me. You love Christmas, please tell me what's going on." He reached over and patted Ace's knee before joining him on the other seat. "You can tell me, I promise I won't tell."

"You said that last time." Ace scoffed, rolling his eyes. 

"Is that what this is all about? You're still going on about the whole letter thing."

Ace shook his head, "You don't know anything."

Sam looked at Ace in concern, "You're right I don't." He stated, "But that is only because you will not tell me." he wrapped an arm around his friend's shoulder and unlike what he had been doing Ace let himself fall into Sam's arms. 

He mumbled into Sam's neck, even though it was too incoherent for Sam to even know what he said, "Truthfully, I don't know what's going on." He clung onto Sam's sweater and the boy yelped in surprise. "What's wrong?" Asked Ace sitting up. 

"I just felt a little, I dunno, zap in my shoulder." He said, rubbing the patch where Ace's hand sat. The boy stared down at his fingers and there were sparks once again. He shoved his hands into his pockets and grumbled returning back to his moody state. " Oh, so after that little hug, you're just gonna go back to how you were?" Ace didn't respond other than putting his headphones and hood back up and staring out of the window. He didn't enjoy the confused feeling he constantly had, he wanted to know what was going on, much like everyone else, but until he knew, he would shut himself away. 

* * *

Arriving at the station, Sam awkwardly hugged Ace goodbye who just stood there frozen. Once Sam had left him, Ace grabbed his trunk and trudged towards his parents who were waiting with the rest of his large family. Orion and Fred greeted their eldest child with smiles and open arms but he dodged them and made his way to the side as they waited for his other siblings. His mother and father looked hurt, not that Ace noticed, and Fred held tightly onto his wife's hand so that she didn't get all emotional in the middle of the platform. They greeted their other children as if nothing had happened but you could tell that they were severely affected by their son's actions. 

All of the Weasley's, Lupin's, Blacks, and Potters were staying at the Burrow for the Christmas break, Molly and Arthur having created even more extensions so that the lower level was wider and had more rooms. Yes, the house was crowded, not that anyone minded, but it was just nice for them to have the whole family around. Arriving at the Burrow Molly greeted them all as she always did, Ace reluctantly letting her hug him before he traipsed off to his room that he always stayed in. His younger cousins all tried to get in his way and greet him but he pushed through them, slamming the door behind him. 

"Is he well?" Molly asked Orion and Fred. 

Orion tried not to burst into tears, covering her mouth and looking away. "I don't know mum," Said Fred, "He totally ignored us at the station, he nearly didn't hold onto Ryan to apparate here. I'm going to go talk to him." He turned to Orion, "Why don't you have a cuppa, love?" Orion nodded as her husband kissed her forehead and stalked off to find their son.

Fred knocked on the door and got no reply. He walked straight in and Ace glanced up from the bed he was sat on, his hood and headphones still on. "Go away." He said and turned back to the ball that was in his hands. 

Fred shut the door and stared at his son in disbelief, "That's not how you talk to your father, Ace. you know you really upset your mother back on the platform." He sat down on the edge of the bed and when Ace didn't react he took the ball off of him and pulled down his hood and earphones. "What the hell have you done to your hair?"

Ace rolled his eyes again and didn't look nor reply to his father. "Ace, what is going on? You are hurting your siblings, your mother, you are hurting me and probably yourself. We just want to know so we can help."

"You can't help so leave me alone."Ace grumbled crossing his arms over his chest. 

"No, I won't leave you alone. I know your mother keeps banging on at me that like you like your privacy, which I know is true but you aren't usually being a rude git like you are now. Ace, come off it, we hate seeing you like this." Fred tried to put his arm around his son but he shrugged him off. "Ace, please."

"Is that all? Good. Shut the door on your way out."

"Ace Sirius Weasley, you don't talk me like that. If you carry on you won't have a Christmas, you'll be grounded. I am supposed to be the irresponsible one out of me and your mother but right now I am not liking your attitude and I will not be so fun anymore!"

"FINE!" Ace bellowed standing up, "I DON'T CARE! I DON'T WANT A CHRISTMAS! I DON'T WANT TO BE HERE!"

"You don't mean that!" Fred stood up. 

"TRY ME!"