Star Of the Weasley Family

Chapter 22. Weasley’s Struggles & A Small Victory



The exchange with Molly and Arthur went better than expected. Ron could still feel a hint of anger in their voices, but it seemed they were trying to make the best out of the situation.

While Arthur couldn't agree on whether to be proud of his son or angry. Molly was only interested in seeing her grandkids who had come a few years earlier than she expected.

Ron just shrugged. He was a grown-up now and had enough money and brains to take responsibility. Ignoring Amelia and Fleur was against his morals, no matter how fucked up their "relationships" had been over the past year or so.

No more fooling around from now on.

####

Before he knew it, he returned to the school on the last day of the holiday. He and Daphne went together, but she maintained her distance from him at his advice.

Ron only had one goal going forward. No, two goals.

The first was to clear the OWLs with a good score. The second was to silently wait for June 18th. Of course, in between all that he had a major task of coming clean with Hermione. It wasn't going to be easy, he knew it. From the moment he saw Hermione back in the school he started feeling anxious.

Although not much had happened between them, he still didn't want to break his good friend's heart. Having known her since their first year, she was close to him. Besides, knowing her insecurities, he feared it might make Hermione lose her trust in people.

"Ron! Where have you been? I missed you so much!"

It was Lavender who ran after him as soon as he arrived back at the school. He avoided her, but as the weeks went by, her chase only intensified, and she began to camp out in places to catch him off guard.

Ron stopped in his tracks this time. He looked left and right first to make sure nobody was around them. Then, he looked at Lavender.

The eager girl had nothing but lust, or rather insane infatuation, in her expression.

"Lavender, you're really starting to get on my nerves. I just... I can't do this anymore, alright? So, please, just stop following me around and... jumping on me like that." Ron tried to soften his voice a bit, knowing how harsh it sounded. "I mean, you snuck into the house that time, and I didn't say anything. You barged into the boys' dorm, and I let it go. But, seriously, I don't want any of this anymore. We've got OWLs coming up, and I need to focus on them. You should probably do the same."

He really wanted to do good in OWLs now. If he wanted to have a happy future with Fleur and also keep little Edgar safe, he needed power that only the Ministry could grant him.

Lavender's face fell. Her excited look changed into something sullen, eyes teared up. "W-Why are you angry, Ron? Did I do something wrong?"

Everything.

Of course, he didn't say that. He continued in a gentle tone. "Lavender, look, we can still be friends, alright? But just friends—nothing more than that. No snogging, no holding hands, none of that stuff. Not now, not ever—that's where I draw the line, got it?"

"W-Why?" She asked.

"Because we're not mindless, horny students anymore. We're grown-ups now, and we've got to think about our future. I really hope you can understand that." He gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder and turned to go. "Good luck with the OWLs."

Of course, Lavender cried there. But Ron didn't look back. He felt bad like he was a scum. But it was better to end it now than regret it later. Thankfully, he didn't have to worry about the Patil twins since the two girls had on their own declared that it was just a 'fling' and nothing serious.

With Lavender taken care of, he quickly returned to the Gryffindor dorms.

Dinner had already been served, and even the common room was mostly deserted since the fifth years were preparing for their OWLs and the seventh years were preparing for their NEWTs.

Soon enough, he went into the dorm room and found Harry, Seamus, Dean, and Neville sitting at their tables, studying. He, too, changed his clothes and sat down at his bedside table.

"Hey, Ron." Harry waved at him. "Where were you?"

"Just took a stroll. What're you burying your nose in this time?"

"Herbology," Harry replied.

"Ugh, it's gotta be Neville teaching again, hasn't it?" Ron grumbled as he flipped open his own book. "I've got Herbology, Astronomy, and History of Magic all breathing down my neck, mate."

Normally, he would have added Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, and DADA to that list as well. But, ever since he drank that strange potion, he never found trouble in those four subjects.

"Maybe Hermione can help," Harry suggested.

"Yeah." Ron didn't continue that conversation. When Hermione was mentioned it usually made him fall into what-if thoughts.

Should I tell Harry? He wondered. He trusted his best friend enough and knew Harry would never tell it to anyone. But, on second thought, he stopped himself. There was a possibility that the Dark Lord or Dumbledore might see through Harry's memories.

It would put everyone's life in danger.

As the night went on and the time approached for the night's curfew, other than Harry and Ron, everyone went to sleep. Of course, both boys had different reasons keeping them up other than just studies.

"You've changed," Harry muttered.

Ron sighed and looked at his buddy, joking. "It's called depression, mate."

Harry smiled and glanced at Ron. "What happened out there? The papers didn't give much other than that you were ambushed and won. How did you fight ten of them?"

"I'm just lucky, I guess," Ron muttered and moved away his gaze. "But I found some clues."

Suddenly, Ron stood up and walked around the bed to Harry's desk. There, he picked up the quill and wrote in Harry's notebook. 'Start preparing. It's very close.'. But he didn't tell the exact date or what it was.

Harry nodded silently and erased the written words with the wave of his wand. "Where are you going?"

"To get some snacks," Ron replied and walked out of his dorm room.

Feeling a little suffocated in the Common Room, he went out and headed upstairs. It was his usual training room that he used to use. Still the same as ever, the targets were hanging around the walls and ceiling.

Better continue the training. He thought and took off his sweater and shirt to save them from his sweat. Then, he grabbed his wand and began the usual routine. Leaping around, shooting spells at the targets. The goal was always to increase efficiency. To keep the arm as steady as possible while attacking.

For almost an hour he spent himself until exhaustion. Once too tired, he walked to the side and stood leaning against a desk, conjuring water for himself.

Knock! Knock!

"Hi, Ron."

Ron looked at the door. "Hey, Luna. Are they still bullying you?"

Smiling like always, Luna skipped into the large classroom. She wasn't in school uniform, however, but rather a common, beige-colored shirt dress with a sweater over it. Her hair had a lot of colorful clips in them, and thankfully, she had shoes on.

"No, they don't bully anymore. What are you doing?" She asked as she approached him.

"The usual training."

All of a sudden, Luna reached him and warmly hugged him. Her slender arms wrapped around his bare chest and hugged him tightly. A moment later, she stepped back as if nothing had happened.

"W-What was that for?" Ron asked.

Luna shrugged. "I just felt like you needed it."

Ron scratched his head embarrassingly. "Is it that obvious?"

"You look troubled."

"Ah, it's a mess of my own making. Don't worry about it," Ron replied and sized her up, trying to figure out what she'd come out for at this hour. No bag in sight, so probably out chasing after her imaginary creatures again.

The silence broke between them all of a sudden.

Ron wondered if he should address the thing between them. Maybe clarify that there were no romantic feelings involved.

But before he could speak, Luna voiced, looking up at his face. "Can we do it again?"

"Do what?"

In a rare show, Luna looked down, as if hiding a blush. "The thing… Without clothes."

Ah, dammit. Ron tried to hide his reluctance.

"I think we shouldn't Luna. I mean, we're not, you know, romantic or anything," Ron mumbled, trying to find the right words. "You ought to only do that sort of thing with someone you like… romantically."

He fidgeted, scratching his head awkwardly. "It just feels… I don't know… wrong if we're just friends and all."

Luna looked up at his face, her silver eyes reminding him of puppies. "But I do like you. I don't mind doing things with you. We're just friends, so I don't think we should feel bad. Don't you like it with me?"

"I love it, of course!" Ron tried not to make her feel bad. "But, uh, you get what I'm saying, don't you? What if something goes wrong? I'm not sure you're quite getting how dangerous this could be."

"Everyone thinks I'm just a silly, strange girl," Luna murmured softly, her eyes drifting off as if following something only she could see. "I really liked it. It was fun and new, and I knew what it was. You're not a bad person for liking it too, Ron. We both did, didn't we?"

"I guess." At that point, Ron sighed and nodded. Luna was like the twins, but it still felt a little wrong since he had a positive impression of her. However, looking at her, he couldn't deny the charms and the desire. "How about I just use my hand?"

Luna tilted her head, her eyes bright and distant, then moved closer with a gentle smile. She wrapped him in a warm hug, then stepped back, her voice soft but certain. "You're pushing yourself. But if you ever change your mind, we could meet again."

Ron rubbed his face frustratingly. It wasn't that he didn't want to do it. But he simply didn't know if continuing his ways would be like cheating. He knew Amelia Bones didn't care. But he wondered if Fleur would be against it.

"Thanks for understanding, Luna."

"That's what friends do," She said with a smile that could vanquish a Dementor.

Ron nodded, "That's right. That's what friends do. Let's get back to our dorms now."

Quickly, Ron put on his clothes and left Luna near her Ravenclaw Common Room entrance before making his way to his own. By that time, the curfew was up, so it was mostly dark around. Without getting caught, he entered the Gryffindor Common Room.

Everyone's asleep?

Finding it mostly dark in the spacious Common Room, Ron decided to relax right there before heading to the room. He walked over to the couch in front of the fireplace and plopped down on it, lying straight, head on the armrest.

Amidst the soft, burning sounds from the fireplace, he fell into a sort of trance. Luna herself wanted it. No strings attached too. I'm not committed to anyone… yet. Ugh, I shouldn't try to justify it.

"Ron?"

He came out of the trance and looked. Between the fireplace and the couch stood Hermione, looking down at him. Her thin brows creased together, worry apparent on her face.

"Why are you sleeping here?" Hermione asked.

"Not sleeping. Just relaxing," Ron replied, "What about you? Still in your uniform?

"I just returned from the library. Ugh, I need some relaxing too," Hermione replied and with that, she drifted closer to Ron, lying down, nestling herself gently on his chest, her head finding a cozy spot just beneath his chin.

Ron's hands instinctively moved and landed behind her waist, near her hips. But he also froze there, torn between embracing her back or pushing her away.

Since when did she become so open about this?

"Hermione, I wanted to tell you something." Ron gulped, getting ready to tell her everything.

She didn't move an inch, keeping her ear on his chest as if listening to his heartbeat.

"You know, I—" Ron paused and took a deep breath. "This time outside. I saw—"

"I know. I'm not even gonna ask how you defeated all those Death Eaters. But maybe I can reward you for being so strong."

"Wha—"

Hermione suddenly pushed her body up, grabbed his collar, and kissed Ron on the lips. Her eyes closed tightly with a now-or-never rush in her quick movement.

Ron, wide-eyed in surprise, could feel her tongue push in between his lips. Recklessly tumbling in his mouth as it caressed his own tongue. It was so hot and slick that his thirst was starting to take over, little by little.

Ron's hands reacted, reaching her hips right then, only to realize that her skirt had been pushed up from the fast motion. He was touching her soft, curving flesh, covered by her pure white cotton panties. The tip of his digits were even touching her smooth, warm skin.

He was a bit surprised that she didn't seem to mind it at all, still eagerly kissing and biting his lower lip with gentle nibbles. The way her tongue swiped ever so gently on the inside of his upper lip almost made him shiver.

He felt so warm, so guilty, and yet so aroused. He loved the feeling of her lithe body against him, so in that moment of heat, he massaged her ass plenty. Sinking his fingers into that pudding-like flesh, feeling the silky skin under his fingertips, gripping and releasing like a stress relief squishy toy. Oh, how he so badly wanted to leave his finger marks, or maybe even more.

"Ron." Hermione broke the kiss all of a sudden and gripped his face with her small hands. She hungrily stared into his eyes. "I missed the perverted Ron."

"Really?" He chuckled awkwardly.

She started kissing him again, smothering his lips before he could say anything else.

At that point, Ron's hand slid under her panties and fondled the smooth skin of her ass. Even if her bottom was smaller than most, it still had a certain charm. The feeling of almost fitting her entire rear in both his large palms was a little exciting, teasing his dominating desires.

Hermione started grinding her body against his, feeling the small hill that started to form between his legs. Hard as a rock, but oh so exhilarating. She knew what it was, and felt no aversion this time, very certain that she was the one that made him aroused right in that moment. And certainly not by watching someone else.

"I hope you didn't forget the deal." She broke the kiss again and mischievously asked. Her bushy hair was falling around her head in such a way that they covered both their faces, only faintly visible to each other.

"Deal? Ah… The OWL grades?" Ron remembered.

I don't think I can follow through with that deal anymore, Hermione. He thought. He did want to score well. But he didn't feel as excited about 'doing it' with Hermione as a reward.

"Need a reminder?" She smirked a little and kissed him back. At the same time, she dragged herself forward slightly and raised her hips higher with her knees straddling Ron.

What does sh—oh!

Hermione suddenly pushed one hand between them and under his waistband, her fingers crawling to his iron-hard erection. She grabbed his cock in an instant and started stroking it right inside his pants, her palm caressing his vulnerable skin.

What's gotten into her? She was always so shy before.

"Ugh…" Ron grunted slightly. It had been weeks since he last had any sexual exchange. He felt utterly sensitive, clenched in her soft grip. But at the same time, the desire, the lust in him made him kiss her harder and greedily knead her ass.

Hermione's playful fingers rubbed Ron's precum all over his cock, sliding her palm on the knob and then around. Tracing the bumps and grooves of his veins with her slick digit. She could feel the heat on his skin, almost eagerly trying to make him even more hot.

Ron could feel her smile as she giggled into the kisses. He was happy that she was happy, but that made him feel even more guilty, stifling his already straining loin.

"I… Stop…" Ron tried to speak when he felt his lips freed. He had to. "I'm tired, Hermione."

Hermione abruptly stopped and slowly pulled her hand out. She lowered her hips again and let him feel the heat of her core on his erection.

But she tried to look at his face. "Are you alright? You never… said no before. I just thought you'd like this… Like a reward."

Don't make me feel more guilty, Hermione. Ron couldn't bring himself to push her away at that moment. He didn't want to break her heart.

"No, I'm just tired after the whole drama outside." He replied and pulled his hand out of her skirt too and stopped feeling her ass. Instead, he hugged her waist and made her lean her head back on his chest.

"Then let me rest with you." Hermione relaxed on him, her slightly intense breaths still audible. "Just a little."

"Sure."

He kept her in his embrace for a while. He was sleepy before, but now sleep was the last thing on his mind. Instead, he cursed himself for not telling her the truth. He tried to think when he should.

Why am I being a coward now? Fighting them was so much easier.

####

The days went by. Ron stayed away from the girls as much as he could. Training, studying, or just taking a walk outside the school. Harry was always beside him, thankfully, since the Boy-Who-Lived had a role to play in the upcoming events.

However, despite living with his own secrets, he wasn't prepared to find out one of Harry's. This one came from Harry's own mouth.

Just to relax their minds after hours of cramming the syllabus, they liked to roam around the lake. It was one such day and one of those walks. They sat down under a tree facing the lake, silent mostly.

"Ron."

Ron looked to the side at his friend. Seeing Harry's face so scared, he frowned. "What? The Dark Lord again?"

"What? No! No, not him. I wanted to tell you something. I-It's about your sister."

Woosh!

Ron jumped to his feet. "What happened to her? Did some horny bastard annoy her?!"

Ah, why do I feel like I'm cursing myself?

"No! I mean, I didn't annoy her. We're just dating," Harry exclaimed, saying everything without realizing it.

Ron's shoulders relaxed as he heard that. He stared at his good friend and sighed. Then, he started to chuckle and sat down again. "Makes sense, I guess. She's always been obsessed with you."

"Ron, I won't ever hurt her."

"Are you two serious?" Ron asked back.

Harry nodded. "She's nice. I like her personality."

"As long as you treat her right, I don't mind. It's better she dates you than Dean. That git's only interested in getting into her pants," he barked, frustration clear in his tone, though every curse seemed to sting him more than anyone else. "Anyway, congratulations. It's gonna be a pretty interesting summer this time. I'll tease the life out of her. But if you ever hurt her..."

Harry hummed in silence, already feeling bad for his girlfriend more than himself.

"What's going on with you?" Harry asked him, feeling this was the right time. "You've been too silent these days. And you've been avoiding Hermione."

Ron sighed and combed his long hair with his fingers. "I don't think the thing between me and her will work out, Harry. I don't know how to tell her now… I don't want to break her heart."

"Have you two done it?" Harry asked. He'd always known his red-headed best friend had been pretty adventurous lately.

"No! Bloody hell… I'm grateful she never let me."

"Well, then what changed? Honestly, I reckon you two balance each other out rather well. Her seriousness and your playful nature—it's quite the mix, really," Harry said.

Ugh. How do I tell him?

"Alright, try to imagine without saying anything. You sow the seed, what do you get?" Ron quizzed.

"Crops? Food? Fruit?"

"Yes!" Ron exclaimed. "I got the fruit."

Harry still looked puzzled. He looked down, then at Ron's face. His eyes under the glasses shifted left and right, trying to unravel that quiz. Minutes passed, and once Harry repeated those metaphors while considering Ron's past adventures, it all clicked.

"Merlin! With whom?!"

"That I can't tell," Ron sighed and sank back onto the grass, a frown creasing his forehead. "I'm in a right mess, Harry. I haven't got a clue how to tell Hermione without hurting her."

Harry sighed the same and sank back like Ron. He wanted to help his friend but even he couldn't come up with a solution. In a true sense, Ron was fucked.

"And it's two fruits from two trees," Ron revealed.

"Bloody hell!" Harry hardly ever swore, but this was one of those times. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "I can't decide if I should feel sorry for you, be impressed, or just plain mad. But you've definitely got a tale for the grandkids, that's for sure."

"Come on, Harry. Be serious," Ron groaned.

Harry chuckled. "Exactly! I've heard the stories but I don't think even Sirius was such a horndog. What do you plan on doing?"

"Take responsibility, of course. I've already told my parents." Ron revealed and rubbed his face tiredly. "Fuck! It was so humiliating."

"But not when you were doing it?"

Ron chuckled and shook his head. "You know what's even more mad? It was really fun. I loved every bit of it, and I'm not sorry for a second. The unexpected mess, though? Yeah, that's a bit of a bother. But I've made my peace with it. Now, all I want is to come clean to Hermione, ace my OWLs, and land a decent job once we're out of Hogwarts."

Harry snickered but understood that reasoning. What could Ron even do now other than silently accepting it?

"Good luck,"

"Yeah, I'll need a lot of it," Ron said and got up. "Let's go back. Time for lunch."

####

Before he knew it, June arrived.

Ron had grown dark circles under his eyes by that time, and still, he had no clue how to tell Hermione the truth. But by that time, he became more focused on training his magic and studying for OWLs.

Standing alone on the rooftop after an intense, actual study session, Ron took deep breaths to calm himself down. It had become a subconscious nature at that point to stay away from anyone other than Harry. He had noticed Hermione's annoyance with their growing distance, but he believed it was for the best. The more she disliked him the better.

"It seems you can use some Butterbeer."

Recognizing that voice, Ron turned around. "Tonks?"

The metamorphmagus witch had appeared out of nowhere. Her hair was red at that time, long till her shoulders. Her dress was rather modest, the usual Auror attire. In her hand was a bottle of Butterbeer.

"Then give me one," he replied.

Tonks smirked and stopped in front of him. So close that any man would be tempted to look down at her noticeable cleavage. Her breasts were definitely altered, he could feel it.

"Drinking in school is prohibited," Tonks replied and downed the entire bottle. She threw it aside and pushed closer to Ron until her mounds pressed into his lower chest. She looked up at him teasingly. "But I guess this isn't against the rules."

Ron frowned as he suddenly felt Tonk's hand on his groin. He wasn't even hard, but she seemed keen on making him hard as she gripped his flaccid size.

"No thanks." Ron pushed her back slightly and swatted her hand away from his loins. "I don't need any more trouble."

"Like banging Bones and becoming a father?"

"..."

"Hehe." Tonks laughed at his twitching, wide frozen eyes. "She's a lonely woman. She couldn't tell her niece and I was the closest she could trust."

Ron gulped in silence.

"So? How was it? Did you enjoy it? I never thought she'd go for a bloke! Always thought she was more into women. Guess I had that one all wrong." Tonks nudged him with her elbow as if teasing. "Don't worry, it's all safe with me."

Is she talking about the secret or the sex?

"I… It wasn't romantic or anything. It was freezing cold in the forest, and, well, it just sort of happened in the heat of the moment," he explained, looking a bit flustered.

Tonks chuckled and softly caressed his face near the jawline. "You're the weirdest boy I've ever seen. A Weasley that rebels—You should've been in Slytherin."

Ron scoffed. "Not even in my dreams."

All of a sudden, Tonks again pushed her breasts on him and grinned. "Wanna do it?"

"I-I don't want any more mistakes."

"It's safe with me," she replied and unbuttoned one more button that hid her mounds. Her pale flesh slowly became more visible, more enticing. "Go ahead."

Ron narrowed his gaze at her and shook his head. "You're drunk, and it feels like an offer made in pity."

Pat!

Tonks smacked on his head and stepped back. "Now you ruined the mood. Don't take me wrong, but I have needs too."

"..."

How many Butterbeers did she drink? Did she break up or something?

"Now." Tonks abruptly opened one more button from her coat. Then she scooped one hand in and pulled out both of her breasts, large in size with tight, button-sized pink nipples. "Suck it!"

"What?!"

"Suck them, Ron! I need this!"

She's mental.

"No, I'm good." Ron waved his hands in defeat and started walking away. "Let's talk again when you're sober."

Tonks frowned and quickly deflated her mounds to a smaller size, then easily buttoned herself up. Her face remained contorted, however.

Thud!

Tonks kicked the floor and shouted at Ron's back. "All you boys are the same! Spineless jolts!"

Sounds like a breakup to me. Ron pitied her, but he seriously didn't want to stick it in her. Not just because of his self-vow, but also because she was drunk. She'll be back apologizing tomorrow.

Silently, he walked down the stairs of the terrace and headed to the Great Hall for lunch. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were the only occasions when he couldn't avoid Hermione, so it took all the self-control in him to enter the place.

However, that day, just at the large gate of the Great Hall, he noticed Draco Malfoy. The blonde-haired boy sneakily stared into the Great Hall, his head turned towards the Gryffindor table.

"Draco," Ron fumed as he marched up to him. As Draco spun around, Ron seized his collar, his face flushed with anger. "Lost your way, have you? Sneaking about like a proper snake now?"

"Hah."

Just then, Ron and Draco both looked to the side. It was Daphne passing by, entering the hall. She giggled at their faces.

"I saw nothing, lovebirds."

"..."

Ron looked back at Draco, his pale face too close to his own because of his hold on the collar.

"..."

Draco sneered. "Let go, Weasley."

"Spying on Harry?" Ron relaxed his grip and let Draco go. "Finally joining the Dark Lord?"

"No, I'm watching Potter to find my Mother," Draco sneered, his eyes flashing with disdain. "And you lot, so high and mighty with your so-called Order of whatever—resorting to such petty tactics as kidnapping? Tell me, Weasley, where is my Mother?"

"Oh…"

Ron remembered just then. Narcissa likely didn't have the time to clarify anything to Draco.

Should I tell him that I screwed his mum? Ron pondered.

The very next moment he shook his face.

What if that pushes him closer to Voldemort? We can't have another Death Eater.

Not pushing Draco to join the Death Eaters was the least he could do for the amazing night Narcissa spent with him, he thought.

"I haven't got a clue, Malfoy." Ron shrugged and walked into the hall with a sense of victory and a smile on his face.

At that moment, he suddenly lost all anger over Draco. It felt like he had no enemies anymore. A deep, hearty moment of tranquility. A sense of utter pride swept through him.

Aye, I've already won. I shagged Draco's mum.


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