66On the outskirts of Ottery St. Catchpole lived a huge family with flaming red hair. They had a house that was originally a bungalow and was expanded upward with two to three more floors to accommodate the number of members as the time went on with magic. Anyone who never believed in magic and seeing their house for the first time would think it was impossible those extensions would stay up that long. They were the Weasleys and all of them have magic and were of pureblood, a term to refer those who had not formed relations with those without magic.
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had seven children: Bill who was the eldest and on the seventh year at Hogwarts, the most oldest educational institution in Europe, and was just chosen to be this year's Head Boy, which both parents were very proud of. He was smart and reliable, also quite popular amongst his peers and very approachable. The second child was Charlie and was on his sixth year, also attending the same school as Bill. He was shorter than Bill but stockier and had more muscle due to being captain of their House's Quidditch team. The third child was Percy, and he was on his third year at Hogwarts. He was neither athletic like Charlie nor charming as Bill. However, he was studious and willing to help those who ask on their studies. Next were the twins, Fred and George. Despite being first years, both were starting to have a name of themselves for pranking as they have done so in the very first week at the castle. This caused their mother to scold them thru letters (they even received a Howler), but the twins were not in the least discouraged.
At home lived the last two siblings: Ron was the youngest son, and he was neither as smart as his older brothers Bill and Percy, as athletic as Charlie, nor creative and fun as the twins. As the youngest, he wore the secondhand clothes of his older brothers. He was nearly the same height as the twins despite him being two years younger, and even though he could catch up with them like in Quidditch, he was oftentimes worried about being ignored by his family. And yet, he could be inquisitive on things he was interested in, and astute if there was need. Unlike the others, he really liked playing chess which was taught to him by his late grandfather, Septimus Weasley. While there were moments none of his siblings wanted to play with him, Ron would play chess on his own.
The youngest of the children was Ginny, and she was the only girl out the seven. As the youngest and the only girl, she got to receive at least some new things like dresses or dolls. She was the most doted over by both her parents and older brothers, however because she was a girl, she was not normally asked to join to play Quidditch during summer whenever the older siblings return from Hogwarts. Because of this, while her brothers weren't looking, she would nick the brooms and practice flying on her own while she could. She was very good at making excuses on spot and their mother would likely would believe in her, the brothers learned sooner that just because she was the youngest, it didn't mean she should be underestimated.
One late evening when both Ron and Ginny were sound asleep, both Mr. and Mrs. Weasley sat together with worried expressions. "You shouldn't be working too hard, Arthur." Said his wife, placing a hand gently over to his comfortingly.
"I can't stop just because I'm tired, Molly dear," responded Arthur. "Bill is on his final year and the year after that will be Charlie's. We will have two years to save for Ron's."
"And what if between these two years something will happen?" said Molly fretfully. "We're barely making ends meet. We only get to save 50 galleons a year. Even with the Hogwarts financial aid, it's not much difference now with the prices soaring. Even the second-hand shops are getting more expensive." She glanced up to the ceiling as if she could see her remaining two children.
"What are you thinking, dear?"
"...what if we could just homeschool both Ron and Ginny?" she said hesitantly. "Oh, that would crush them. They've always wanted to go to Hogwarts ever since Bill started attending."
"We'll do something about it. Let's believe in ourselves."
And so they pushed on. After that year, their eldest Bill finally graduated with flying colours. He got a position as a Curse Breaker at Gringotts and spent six months learning the first half of the fundamentals at the Wizarding Bank before being assigned to Egypt. Molly cried as she the rest of the family bid him the last day of the winter holidays before Charlie, Percy, and the twins return to Hogwarts. "Write to us, Bill!" wept Ginny.
"Of course I will," chuckled Bill, picking Ginny up and giving her one last embrace. "I'll try to send -"
"Don't," stopped their father. "You're now an adult, so you need to start saving for yourself. We'll be fine."
Bill pressed his lips as if stopping himself from saying something. "Alright, but I can still send gifts." He put Ginny down and looked at his younger brothers. "You'd be in your best behaviour, don't give Mum and Dad any more troubles -"
"How dare you'd think of us that way, Bill," piped up Fred, with a mocking offended expression.
"We're always on our best behaviour," said George dramatically. "You should hear Professor McGonagall praise us -"
"You mean lecture," pointed out Percy with a sigh. "You two got 30 detentions for the whole school year."
"We'll top it in the next!" the twins said boisterously.
"Fred, George!" reprimanded their mother.
Charlie grinned widely at his older brother and patted him on the back. "Good luck and stay safe. I'll keep watch on Perce and the twins." He said before turning to look over his younger brothers. "You'll be running laps when we get back, you hear me?"
Fred and George paled. "You can't do that!"
"I can because I'm captain," smirked the second eldest. "Unless you want to quit, then I'll just ask Higgins and Durand -"
"But we're way better than them! You said so!"
As they bantered, Bill checked on Ron. "You alright there?"
"You're leaving again," said Ron lowly. "You didn't get to stay at the Burrow that long." Bill could see that the youngest brother was stopping himself to shed tears.
"I'll try to go home if the work allows, Ron. And I promise I'll you and Gin presents. And of course letters. I'll tell you everything what goes on in the pyramids. You like puzzles, right?"
Ron shook his head. "I'm fine." Ron wiped the tears that were threatening to falls with his long sleeves and said bravely, "Just promise you'll write to us!" Fred began teasing, calling him 'Ickle Ronniekinns' to which Molly scolded him to treat his younger brother better.
"Well then, I'm off." Bill waved at everyone, carrying his trunk containing his clothes and other important belongings and walking away. He saw everyone waving at him, calling his name, and smiled. With one short spin, he was gone.
The following day, Charlie, Percy, and the twins returned to school via Hogwarts Express for the new term. Two months later, it was already Ron's birthday, and the youngest son was very happy that everyone at least remembered his day. Bill managed to send him a picture book of the pyramids and tombs, along with a small puzzle book which he found engaging just as much as chess. His birthday also meant that in a couple of months he would be attending Hogwarts soon along with his older brothers.
Months later, Charlie graduated. He was offered a job at a dragon reserve in Romania as a Dragonologist so he only managed to stay with the family barely a month before leaving like Bill. Even though the two oldest siblings were gone, the liveliness at the Burrow didn't go down because of the twins' antics. Just days before the end of July, an owl arrived carrying a couple of letters with the seal of the school that Ron's been anticipating for so long.
"Mum! It's here! My letter!" shouted Ron in glee, waving the letter with his right hand excitedly.
"Lower down your voice -" Molly said to her youngest but her eyes strayed off towards the clock and gasped. The clock at the Burrow didn't show time, but rather the status of each family member. Bill and Charlie's clock hand were pointing at 'Work', while the rest were pointed at 'Home'. However, Arthur's clock hand was directed at 'Mortal Peril'. "Percy! I need you to look after your siblings!"
"Yes Mum -"
"Mum, I got my Hogwarts letter!"
"Mum, where are you going?"
"I'll come back soon, I just need to check on your father -" Molly hastily removed her apron and rushed outside, apparating a few yards away.
"What happened?" Ginny tugged Percy's shirt.
Percy looked at the clocked at his eyes widened. "Mum — she needs to go somewhere —" he looked at Ron who was hurt at what happened and said, "Don't be sad, it's not like she ignored you intentionally. She went to check on Dad."
Ron knew it wasn't done on purpose, but he couldn't help but wonder if he really wasn't that important. "I know. Let's wait for her." He said slowly. His excitement over receiving his Hogwarts letter was dampened by the change of mood. He looked at the clock and realised the reason why her mum acted that way. "I hope Dad's okay."
The Weasley children later found out that their father got himself fatally injured as he managed to track the trail of those who had been creating illegal muggle-baiting items that had been threatening to break the Statute of Secrecy. Apparently it was a group of wizards and Arthur and his partner named Perkins had been tracking for sometime and after being caught, they had to call for back-up since the head of the group was one of the wanted wizards the Aurors had been hunting down.
Right now Arthur Weasley was hospitalised at St. Mungo's and had to stay for a whole month. This meant that their income was cut short and Molly didn't know how to inform Ron that there might be a possibility he would be unable to attend Hogwarts. Molly couldn't stay overnight at the hospital because she had to care for her children. Arthur still hadn't woken up, but the Healers informed that he would regain consciousness in a week or two.
Molly returned to the Burrow and was greeted by her children who were asking about their father. "He's fine," she told them. "He still hasn't woken up but the Healers said he's no longer in critical danger."
"When will he come home?" piped up Ron, his eyes wide.
"Your father will come home after a month - I know, it's long, but at least by then he'll be fit to come home." Said Molly firmly.
Percy had an unreadable look on his face but didn't say anything throughout the evening. As soon as everyone settled down and went to their own devices, Percy approached their mother in the kitchen and said, "Mum, can I ask you something?"
"Why of course Percy, what is it?"
"Are you sure we're going to be alright?" the question surprised the matriarch. "I mean, we don't have to pay the full price for Dad's stay at St. Mungo's but how much do we have left?" he held out his Hogwarts letter and said, "I've just been appointed Prefect -" he saw that his mother looked as though she was about to congratulate her, but he continued, "- but with Dad's injury I wanted to know if we can still do this or would that mean Ron would be unable to attend Hogwarts -"
Molly pursed her lips, her expression weary. She sat down and beckoned her third eldest to sit beside her. "Percy, your father and I had been discussing this before, and we promised each other that we'll do all we can to get the best education we could afford for everyone." She spoke. "So far, we have managed to complete Bill and Charlie's. And we don't want your education to stop, not everyone. But I'll be honest with you since you asked - it's been very difficult. Prices are soaring for the past few years and your father's barely given any raise so he had to work overtime to make sure we had just enough to send you all to Hogwarts."
"Why can't dad get a different job?" asked Percy with a frown.
"You know your father," smiled Molly wryly. "He's mad fascinated with anything Muggle, and he loves his job. But that's not just the reason, and you know that. Your father knew that there would be no one to protect Muggles from those who wished nothing more than to cause trouble. The Ministry's still filled with those who don't believe that keeping Muggles safe and unbothered means keeping our community safe."
"I just want -" Percy struggled to put his thoughts together while not sounding he was complaining, but failed. He only wanted an owl on his own as a gift of him becoming a Prefect. But he had to be mature, so he had to keep it to himself. "I just want everything to be alright for us." He said.
Ron had woken up from a nightmare which involved being chased and cornered by something with multiple hairy legs and eyes. He panted and sat up, breathing heavily as he remembered what he dreamt. "Spiders are the worst," he shuddered. He decided to leave his bed and go downstairs to get some water but as he got down, he heard his mother and Percy talking. He wasn't ignorant on his family's financial status, so he quickly understood what they were talking about.
His eyes widened when he heard Percy mentioned him on the possibility that he might not be able to attend Hogwarts due to his father's sudden injury and long stay at St. Mungo's. Right then he just realised the times his father come home very late, looking tired, or when his mother had a list which happened to be their finances.
It was overwhelming, and the youngest son felt he no longer was thirsty. The thought that he would be unable to attend Hogwarts filled his mind as he walked back upstairs to his room. I won't be able to go to Hogwarts.
On the following days since that night, Ron was seen being less excited and looked glum whenever the topics Hogwarts come up. He would go to his room and shut himself in. Sometimes, whenever they eat, he was seen staring at the food and ate at a much slower pace, and would say he was full after one serving. This went on for two weeks, and Molly was unable to notice this because she was busy tending to her husband and juggling the chores and what-not at the Burrow. The twins thought their youngest brother was just scared that he wouldn't be sorted and he had to go home so they teased him. Ron didn't fight back and kept to himself further.
After one month, their father had finally come home. The Weasley children were happy they got to see him again, with both Ron and Ginny tackling him for a hug, followed by the twins, and lastly Percy. Molly was teary-eyed and embraced her husband, relieved to have him home once more.
"I'm all right now, I'm not fragile," kidded Arthur. "I missed all of you."
"We missed you too, Dad!" piped up Ginny.
The general mood at the Burrow changed to a more positive tone, and for a week, things had been good. But one evening, as they all had dinner, the topic of Hogwarts was brought up. "Tomorrow, we'll go to Diagon Alley and buy what you all need -"
"I don't want to go to Hogwarts anymore."
Silence filled the room as everyone turned to look at Ron who had spoken up. "Ron, what did you say?" asked their father. The other siblings were staring at him with shocked looks on their faces. Percy and Molly were the most flabbergasted.
"You heard me clearly." Ron's voice quavered but his eyes were unrelenting. "I don't want to go to Hogwarts anymore. You just got out of St. Mungo's and we don't have anything left for me -"
"Where did you get such thinking?" cried Molly. "You're definitely going to Hogwarts -"
"I don't want to cause trouble for everyone!" shouted Ron standing up. "I – I heard you and Percy talking about it and I've been thinking about it. I – I don't mind being homeschooled." He said to them. He faced their father and added, "You just got out, I don't want you to work too much. It's okay. Maybe I can attend next school year when things are better."
Arthur stood up and embraced his youngest son. "You're too young to decide these things. I'm your father and it's my responsibility to make sure you're taken care of."
"But -" started Ron but Arthur gave him a look.
"Thank you for thinking for us, but there's no need for you to neglect yourself. We'll do something about it." He glanced over to his wife who nodded while dabbing her tears away. "Yes, it's difficult, but it doesn't mean we should stop. How about this, if we found a more affordable school for you, will that be alright? I know you really wanted to go to Hogwarts -"
"I don't mind," said Ron, his voice muffled against his father's embrace. "I don't mind any school. Homeschool is also fine."
"Mum, Dad, does that mean I won't be able to go to Hogwarts too?" stammered Ginny, her eyes wide. She looked at Ron and said determinedly, "If Ron doesn't want to go to Hogwarts, then I don't want to as well! I want to be with Ron!"
"Ginny dear, don't be like that," said Molly with a wry smile, approaching their only daughter and hugging her tightly. "We'll do what we can to make ends meet. Don't worry about these things." Both parents shared a look. It was obvious that both Ron and Ginny were close due to their age and having been the last two to stay at home, so they had each other to rely on. "We promise you on that."
Ginny peeked towards Ron's direction and gave him a meaningful look, to which Ron was grateful. At least he won't be alone.
A few days later, Arthur had come home early, and breathing quite as if he was being chased down by a dragon. "Ron, come here," he called for his son. Ron immediately ran downstairs after hearing his name and approached his dad with curiosity. "Let's sit for a moment," he gestured his youngest to sit beside him at the living room, and the rest of the children were present, listening to the awaiting conversation. "You remembered that we promised you that we'll find you a school that will be more affordable for us?"
Seeing Ron's nod, Arthur continued. "Well, I found two schools that meets our criteria - Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and Koldovstoretz".
"Where's Boobatton located?" asked Ron with eyebrows furrowed. "And Koldo-whatits?"
"It's Beauxbatons," corrected Percy. "It's a school in Southern France. And Koldovstoretz is based in Russia."
"Isn't that where they play Quidditch using uprooted trees instead of brooms?" said George with a raised eyebrow. "You should go there. Sounds loads of fun." He said to Ron.
Arthur coughed to revert the attention back to him. "Ron, I made some enquiries and it's up to you which school you want to go. Although I will have to inform you that you may need to learn either French or Russian if ever you do choose either one." He said while handing him brochures. "I've spoken to both heads of the schools and they said that they can still accommodate for as long as you will respond in two days."
"Two days?" repeated Ron in shock. He opened the brochures and was beginning to scan the contents. "Dad, which one's better? Please be honest with me."
"Koldovstoretz is more affordable, but it's farther than Beauxbatons. Also, you may need to wear mostly winter clothes most of the year if you're not that accustomed to the climate. Since they have a smaller population of students, there's lesser number of clubs and activities. And yes, they do play Quidditch using uprooted trees instead of brooms. The lessons are similar with the Hogwarts curriculum but their forte is more on Charms and Transfiguration." Informed Arthur.
"Beauxbatons is closer since it's located in Southern France and the climate will be warmer than here in Britain. This school is usually the preferred choice for wizarding families in Southern Europe, so it'll be more diverse. As I've been told, their OWLs don't happen in their fifth year but rather in their sixth year. If you choose Beauxbatons, you'll be studying there for eight years instead of seven like in Hogwarts. Also, you will have you'll be taking their scholarship wherein you have to have at least an Acceptable for all of your subjects to make it more affordable. Their curriculum is very similar with Hogwarts, but there's no Houses but there's more clubs to choose from." He finished.
"I think you should choose Boobuttons!" remarked Ginny. "It'll be much closer to home and it's also close to Egypt! Maybe Bill can visit you!"
"But it doesn't sound as fun as the one in Russia! I mean trees as brooms? Come on!" said Fred.
"Besides, Ron had to study and not fail any subject. That's rather a sinker. I mean no offence Ronniekinns but you're not as brainy as Percy and Bill -" said George with a shrug.
Ron's ears reddened. Arthur frowned. "George, that's enough! Ron can decide on his own which school he would like to attend." reprimanded Molly.
"Mum's right, Ron. Choose which one you prefer." said Percy in a rather proud tone, failing to sound encouraging. "You have two days to decide."
The youngest Weasley son nodded slowly while holding the brochures. "Okay. So how do we confirm?" he asked.
"We'll have to send via Owl Post Office, using those who are permitted to do international deliveries. It's a bit pricey, but it'll deliver your response less than two days depending on the distance." Their father answered. "It's illegal to send letters internationally without authorisation."
Ron seemed to be in big thought and said slowly, "I understand." He stared at the two brochures he had in his hands. Both schools sounded nice, and it's within their financial capability. He initially thought other schools would be more expensive, but that wasn't the case. Koldovstoretz sounded fun and he really liked Quidditch, but he wasn't sure about playing Quidditch without brooms and replaced with uprooted trees. Also, he wasn't really a fan of really cold temperatures. Sure, he liked winter but he couldn't imagine himself surviving the temperatures that the country would normally be experiencing.
But regarding Beauxbatons, he had to make sure his grades were at least Acceptable. That would mean he shouldn't get low marks even on his homework. He was beginning to feel dejected because he knew that he really wasn't smart or studious like Percy and Bill. The twins, despite having numerous detentions, still managed to get passing marks in all of their subjects. Same with Charlie who was Quidditch Captain and still got seven OWLs despite his busy schedule, more so with Bill who was Head Boy and got eight OWLs.
Then a thought came across. Why would he need to feel conscious? He would no longer attend Hogwarts. He didn't have to compare himself to his other older siblings. He didn't have to worry about those things. Ron can make a name for himself in a place no Weasley had attended. He just needed to work for it. Because his brothers did it on their own, so he should as well.
"Okay, I've decided. I'm choosing Beaubaton." He said as he tried to pronounce the name of the school he had chosen.
Ginny let out a triumphant scream while the twins groaned. Percy seemed proud of him while both of his parents smiled toward his direction. It was going to be all right.
I've recently read stories about Hermione not attending Hogwarts storyline. It was intriguing and I liked it. It gave a different view on what the story would be if one of the iconic Golden Trio was out of the picture. And so, as a Ron Weasley fan, I wanted to delve in but with Ron unable to attend Hogwarts because his family were poorer than canon.
I had to wonder if the Wizarding Community was affected by the Economic Depression that happened in the 80's and 90's so I wanted to show that in some ways, it did somehow affected them.
Note that I intentionally misspelled Beauxbatons because I doubt Ron would be able to pronounce the name of the French school correctly, except for Percy and Bill. This I think would a bit more light-hearted than Choices. Speaking of which, I'm currently halfway finishing the chapter. I know, I know. I should be concentrating on my main story but I really want to make a story about this.
I wanted to show a better way to reflect the BillxFleur love story and how it blossomed. Also, I felt that if Ginny attended Beauxbatons and met Fleur, I think they would get along better. Basically, I want Ron to feel less insecure about himself. I think Beauxbatons can be that place where could find his self-confidence and shine brighter.
And yes, this is clearly going to be a Romione pairing.
Anyway, that's all I wanted to say. I won't be updating this often since Choices is my top priority. Yes, I'll post it soon! I promise you guys!