The Marauder's heiress returns

The Weasleys

Up in the highest room of an odd-shaped home, a boy with red hair and dark blue eyes would be seen laying on his bed, just finished his chores for the day. Ron Weasley was the second youngest of seven siblings and often felt a great burden to prove himself to his parents, hoping to achieve at least half of what his older brothers had.

In a few days, he'll be joining three of his brothers at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and though he was extremely excited, he couldn't help but feel nervous. His family had always been sorted into Gryffindor house and he worried that he would be the first to break that tradition, feeling as though he wasn't brave enough to get into the lion's den.

Many believe that because the Weasleys are a light family, they hold prejudices against those that are considered dark and truth be told, it couldn't be further from the truth. Yes, they may accept muggle-borns and not hold prejudice against muggles in general but his parents made sure to teach every one of their children the old ways of the magical world.

One thing that kept playing constantly over in his mind is the newspaper article his father read out to the family at the breakfast table that morning. Growing up, he heard stories of Adelaide Potter and what she accomplished as a child, defeating one of the most violent dark lords to ever plague their world was awe-inspiring, to say the least. He knew she would be attending Hogwarts at the same time as him and he hoped he could befriend her, not because of her name or her popularity but since their parents had once been close friends. He remembers all the stories they told, along with his two older brothers, of Adelaide as a baby and despite not knowing her personally, he already grew fond of the green-eyed witch.

His mother had cried at the sight of her on the front page of the Daily Prophet, stating how beautiful the girl had grown up to be, which Ron had to agree with. She was beautiful but laying eyes on her made him feel as though he was looking at his little sister. When his dad got to the part that announced her two magical titles, he and his family were gobsmacked but equally fascinated by it. However, it soon turned to rage when it was not only announced that she was dropped off at her muggle aunt's home and left on the doorstep but that Adelaide herself had somewhat hinted that it was Dumbledore that placed her there in the first place.

"That old bastard!" was what his mum shouted, her hands clenching around the spatula.

The Weasley family had once followed Dumbledore with blind loyalty but it wasn't until a few years ago that his parents sat them all down and revealed what the old wizard asked of their family. According to his parents, Dumbledore wanted them to prepare and stage a meeting with her at kings cross Station, and divert her towards the light in fear that she may be influenced towards the dark. His parents couldn't fathom it at the time and wondered what would drive her to become so-called dark, not that they believed there was anything wrong with having a dark core, to begin with. However, what drove his parents to completely turn away from Dumbledore was the offer of Adelaide's vault key and that they are more than welcome to use her money to buy whatever they wanted.

He felt completely disgusted, how could someone who claimed to be the leader of the so-called 'light' condone theft, especially from the family that was once close to his parents before their horrific death?
Ron remembers looking around the living room at his family, seeing them equally, if not more horrified and disgusted by the old wizard's offer and swore to never follow the man again. His dad went as far as calling a blood feud with the house of Dumbledore, cutting complete ties with the headmaster.

They felt a lot better once finishing the article, especially when it explained that despite being emancipated and taking up her ladyship to many prestigious houses, she would be staying with her blood-adopted father, Lord Sirius Black and her uncle, Mr Remus Lupin, who according to his parents was a sweet man with a hard life.

Ron was snapped out of his deep thoughts by the sound of knocking on his door, and after calling out for whoever to enter, a small sigh left his lips at the sight of his mischievous twin brothers, Fred and George.

"What do you two want?" He asked tiredly, rubbing his eyes. He completely missed the concerned looks on their usually non-serious faces.

"Are you alright, Ron?" They questioned in unison, which was common for the twins to do along with finishing each other's sentences.

"I guess" He shrugged, avoiding eye contact with them. It wasn't easy for him to open up about his feelings, especially when he felt as though they were often brushed to the side or not taken seriously.

The twins exchanged a look with one another before walking towards their little brother's bed and taking a seat at the end, sitting crisscrossed. Ron turned towards them with a confused frown, feeling a little uneasy but their unusually serious faces and wondered if they were about to prank him, which so happens to be one of their specialities.

"Talk to-"
"Us, Ron"

"I-I don't know how to explain it" He mumbled shyly, lowering his head to hide the blush of embarrassment on his cheeks.

"Just explain-"
"We'll figure it out" Ron sighed and nodded his head, chewing on his bottom lip as he thinks of a way to start.

"I'm excited about Hogwarts but I don't want to let anyone down. What if I don't make it to Gryffindor? What if I don't make friends? I'm not funny like you two, I'm not smart or hard-working like Percy, Charlie and Bill. I'm not as brave as everyone and it makes me doubt whether or not I'll be in the same house as you all" The twins were shocked as they listened to their little brother reveal his insecurities and they couldn't help but feel ashamed at not seeing how he was suffering.

"We know Mum can be a bit much at times but she only wants you to be happy, and so do we-" Fred spoke soothingly, taking his brother's hand in his.

"Be yourself, Ron. You are smart and all you need to do is put extra care into your studies and you'll most definitely succeed in anything you plan to do in the future" George interrupted with such certainty in his voice, earning an agreeable nod from his twin.

"Do you really think so?" Ron questioned with hesitancy in his voice, though the twins noticed the hope in his blue eyes.

"We know so" They spoke in unison with soft smiles on their faces.

Ron looked between his older twin brothers and instantly saw how sincere they were in their words. Fred and George were always the ones to tease him and not take anything seriously, and so for them to sit with him and listen to how he was feeling, really warmed his heart and brought tears to his eyes. The twins must have seen it as they immediately brought him in between them, hugging him tightly as he finally let his emotions run wild, a sob leaving his lips for the first time in front of them.

Little did they know that their mother was standing outside the door, her hand clutched over her chest with tears pouring down her face, feeling as though she let her youngest son down because she never once saw or listened to how he felt. She made a note to talk to her husband about what she heard and vowed to be there more for her children, wondering if any more of them felt similar to how her little Ron was.