"Oi Ron, wake up!" hollered a boy of thirteen, yanking the blankets off.
"Go away," grumbled another boy, lying on the bed and still under the blankets, with his face covered by a pillow, gripping the blanket from being pulled from him. 'Gimme ten more minutes,' he said against the pillow, his voice muffled.
"Got a problem, Fred oh brother of mine?" a voice drifted from the entrance. The door swung open and another boy stepped inside the room and stood beside his twin brother.
"Yep George," nodded the twin, grinning widely. The twins gave each other a look as if speaking to one another and the boy on the bed was already on the floor, groaning in pain. "Now that you're fully awake, you better hurry up and fix yourself," he said to him.
"We're going to leave in about forty-five minutes," continued the other twin.
"What? You should've woken me up earlier!" shouted the boy named Ron at his twin older brothers. He scrambled to his feet, dashed out of the room and went straight inside the bathroom. It didn't take long for him to clean himself and dress up.
"About time you came down," said the mother, gesturing an empty clean plate on the table. "Hurry up, we're going to be late."
"Yes Mum," muttered Ron as he sat down and piled food on his plate. After he had his second helpings of breakfast (Ron, as his brother put it, had an endless pit of a stomach), his mother told him to brush his teeth so the young redhead boy did as he was told.
When the clock struck eight minutes before ten in the morning, everyone was stationed near the fireplace at the living room. "Has everyone packed their belongings?" the mother asked her children.
"Ron almost forgot to bring Scabbers," said a tall boy with curly red hair and horn-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. He was holding a fat black rat whose fur had receded on some parts, particularly on the head. He gave it to Ron who accepted it without complaint.
"Oh right, thanks Percy," said Ron, holding the rat gingerly in his hand but moments after, he was seeing a different scene; a man with watery blue eyes, a pointy nose with one of his hands losing a finger cowered on the floor while other occupant stood around him. He looked at everyone, breathing fast and shallow. Ron saw the short man's eyes dart to the door and back to the man who was wearing shabby-looking robes.
"Well, hello, Peter," said a sandy-haired man conversationally. "Long time, no see."
"S—Sirius… R—Remus…" said the short cowering man, voice squeaky and raspy. His eyes darted toward the door and to the man again as if wanting to escape. "My friends… my old friends…"
The young redhead shook his head hastily and stared at the rat incredulously. "What the-?" His mind began turning. What the heck is that about? Ron didn't have much time to dwell as his three older brothers vanished from the fireplace. He took a pinch of powder from the flowerpot his mother was holding out for him, threw it in the fireplace before stepping inside along with his trunk and Scabbers, and shouted, "Diagon Alley!" Emerald green flames erupted from the hearth and engulfed him completely.
He opened his eyes and found himself in another place seconds later. He got out from the fireplace and saw his brothers standing not far away from him. He removed the soot from himself and his trunk before approaching them.
Emerald flames appeared once again and his mother and younger sister came out. They went out of the pub and walked all the way to the train station within ten minutes (they weren't having a hard time since their mother charmed their trunks to make it lighter), and upon arrival placed their trunks on the trolleys.
Ron was beginning to get excited and nervous simultaneously, wanting to see the scarlet train that would take him to Hogwarts. He heard his mother mutter, "- packed with Muggles, of course –" and he mentally shook his head; his mother had always said that every time they went to King's Cross on September first. Why she always said that, he didn't know but as long as it didn't hurt anyone, it was fine with him and his siblings. "Now, what's the platform number?" she pondered as if not remembering what it was.
All of the siblings, excluding the younger sister, shared a glance. They knew she was asking this because she wanted to be sure that they all know where they were supposed to be going, but it was a bit too much. It wasn't as if they were that forgetful.
Ginny, the youngest of all, piped up and answered the mother's question, her eyes pleading. "Mom, can't I go…"
As the mother told her daughter that she couldn't go due to her age, Ron noticed a scrawny-looking, messy raven-haired boy with round spectacles watching them curiously. Like him, he wore second-hand clothes but seemed worse than his and siblings since it didn't fit him. Ron stared at him and thought that he had seen him somewhere before, but he couldn't exactly remember where (but he could be mistaken, he added thoughtfully). He knew the boy was a wizard like him because of the trunk and the owl he had so he wasn't bothered much, although he wondered why.
Percy, the eldest in present, already went through the barrier with his things, followed by the twins Fred and George after doing their usual 'Which Twin is Which?' prank which always drove her mother silly.
When the twins were gone, the raven-haired boy finally approached them. "Excuse me," he said to them before proceeding with his question. Apparently, the boy didn't know how to go to King's Cross since it was his first time, and by what Ron could tell, the boy was a Muggle-born.
"Not to worry, all you have to do is just go through the barrier," said the mother, pointing toward the stone pillar with the platforms nine and ten, "Don't stop and don't be scared or you'll crash into it, that's very important. Best if you run if you're feeling nervous." She told him.
Ron could tell that the boy was apprehensive at the method of going to the platform. He thought he would be like that as well if he had been told to run straight against a very solid-looking pillar. He watched as the boy ran straight the barrier in slight panic and a second later, he was gone.
"Now it's your turn Ron," said his mother to him. "We'll follow soon after."
The young redhead nodded shortly, pushing the trolley in front of him. He picked up the speed and went straight through the barrier as he had done many times. Ron looked around to find his brothers but couldn't so he waited for his mother and younger sister to appear. When the two finally got through, the three redheads set off to the train.
"Seven minutes before eleven," said the mother, checking the time from the watch she had. "Thank Merlin we arrived just on time. Now where are your brothers?" she asked Ron.
Ron shrugged, not knowing where his older brothers were.
"Fred? George? Are you there?" called out the mother to the train, hoping that they heard her.
Then his twin brothers appeared as they clambered down from the train, wearing slightly awed looks on their faces. The mother suddenly took out a handkerchief from her pocket, faced Ron and said to him, "Ron, you've got something on your nose." Ron tried to get away but failed and his mother was now rubbing the handkerchief on the end his nose.
"Mom – geroff," He said as he finally got away.
"Aah, does ickle Ronniekins has somefink on his nosie?" one of the twins asked in a mock-baby tone.
Ron scowled at them but his ears turned slightly red. "Shut up," he said to them.
The mother asked the twins where Percy was and on cue, the oldest son arrived, wearing his school robes and a silver badge pinned on his left chest. He began going on about having to go to the Prefect's meeting but his twin brothers interrupted him by teasing. When Percy left, she gave them a warning about not causing trouble at school. "Now, you two – this year, you behave yourselves. If I get one more owl telling me you've – you've blown up a toilet or –"
"Blown up a toilet? We've blown up a toilet," said the twin.
"Great idea though, thanks Mum," said the other twin, grinning widely.
"It's not funny," pressed on the mother. "And look after Ron –"
"Don't worry," said the twin named Fred. "Ickle Ronniekins is safe with us –"
Ron scowled deeply at the pet name the twins had given him. "Shut up," he said again. After the teasing, the twins went on by telling them about meeting Harry Potter in person.
On cue, his younger sister began to squeal, tugging the mother's sleeves. "Oh, Mom, can I go to the train and see him, Mom, oh please…"
The mother said no, saying that they had already seen him and wasn't someone to be goggle at like in a zoo.
The whistle blew and the three boys said their byes to their mother and younger sister before entering inside the train. "We'll send you a Hogwarts toilet, Gin!" hollered George at Ginny who was crying and laughing at the same time. The train gained more speed and King's Cross was soon out of sight.
Ron wandered inside the train, looking for an empty compartment while dragging his trunk and holding his pet Scabbers since he believed his brothers wouldn't let him sit with them. He saw one compartment with only one occupant inside and decided to try staying there if the person would let him. He knocked on the door, slid it open and poked his head inside, asking tentatively, "Anyone sitting there? Everywhere else is full." After asking the young redhead realized that the person inside was the boy who approached them earlier.
The raven-haired boy shook his head, gesturing him to come inside. Sighing in relief, Ron entered and sat down on the opposite side to the boy. Then the door slid open once again and his brothers entered, telling him that their friend Lee Jordan brought a tarantula as though scaring him before greeting the boy who happened to be Harry Potter. The moment the twins left, the redhead glanced at the raven-haired boy once in a while, thinking whether he really was Harry Potter.
Ron couldn't help himself and blurted out, "Are you really Harry Potter?"
The boy looked slightly taken aback but responded, "Yeah, I am."
Ron stared at him incredulously. He really was Harry Potter? But he looked so different from what he imagined. "D-do you have the – scar?" he asked hesitantly but eagerly too.
Harry pulled up his messy bangs and on his forehead was a lightning-shaped scar.
"Wow," let out the redhead. He couldn't really believe he was in the same compartment as the Boy-Who-Lived. Without thinking again, he asked another question before realizing how rude he was. He could feel his face turning red, thinking how stupid he sounded. Surprisingly, Harry asked him a question and it sounded as if he was interested. Ron answered it although there was one question made him feel a bit conscious due to his family's financial status. He was grateful to Harry soon after because he changed the subject and the conversation became light again.
It was already noon and the two were feeling quite hungry. When the trolley full of sweets being pushed by a kind middle-aged woman arrived, Harry pulled out his money, which consisted mostly of galleons and sickles, and bought every single sweet from Chocolate Frogs to Cauldron Cakes. Ron looked away, feeling his anxiety and insecurity rising yet again. "No, I already have packed sandwiches," he mumbled, staring at the two sandwiches in his hand when the trolley lady asked him.
After Harry paid the sweets he bought, he sat down with the food in his arms. He settled it beside him and would check out one of the sweets he bought in mild hesitation and fascination. Ron unwrapped his sandwiches and grimaced after seeing the filling which was corned beef, a food he didn't like. "She always forgets that I don't like corned beef," he muttered with a sigh.
"Let's swap," said Harry suddenly, much to Ron's surprise. "Come on, I don't mind –"
Ron flushed deeply. "You won't like it," he said to him. "It's dry – she's always so busy having five kids –"
"I don't mind," shrugged Harry. "Really."
In the end, Ron gave him his sandwich. As they traded food, his hand brushed to the boy's hand and Ron realized he was having another vision. Two in one day? I can't believe this – he stopped thinking as he saw an older-looking Harry running inside what seemed to be a maze with his wand at ready. The scene changed and a slightly younger Harry rode on a Nimbus Two-Thousand in the middle of a storm in his Quidditch robes and suddenly a swarm of Dementors swooped down from the sky. As the Harry in his vision fell off from his broom, the scene changed once again; Harry was chasing a tall dark-haired woman and reaching the Atrium (he recognized the place immediately since his father brought him there twice) he shouted one spell that caused the woman to drop on her knees and twitch uncontrollably. The visions kept on coming; he couldn't keep up with the information, until –
Ron felt someone roughly shaking him. "Ron?" gasped Harry, holding Ron tightly.
"Wha-? H-Harry?" said Ron inaudibly as he opened his eyes groggily. Focusing his eyesight, he found himself on the floor. I must've fallen when I had those visions.
"You almost scared me," sighed Harry. "You went unconscious after you gave me your sandwich. I was about to find your brothers –"
"No, I'm fine," cut off Ron, standing up from the floor. "I feel better now."
"Are you sure?"
"Definitely," he said seriously. "I just felt a bit dizzy, you see – couldn't sleep last night -" he lied easily.
Harry nodded in understanding. "I know how that feels." They decided to put behind what happened and continued where they left off. They ate the sweets one by one with Ron explaining some of the sweets to Harry.
As they ate, the door opened and a round-faced boy with chestnut brown hair stood by the entrance. He asked them if they had seen a toad that happened to be his pet but the two shook their heads. Ron took a longer glance and mused to himself, thinking that the boy was familiar. I must've seen him from one of the visions I had before, he thought shortly after the boy left the compartment. Few minutes after, someone entered the compartment and this time it was a girl. She had bushy brown hair, brown eyes, and rather large front teeth. She asked them whether they had seen a toad named Trevor and Ron noted that she must be helping the other boy in finding his pet. They said no again and were left to their own devices.
Minutes went by and the conversation transferred to the Hogwarts Sorting. "My family are all in Gryffindor," Ron told him. "Of course, I'm expected to end up there," he suddenly felt nervous as he said this. What if I didn't get in? "but really, imagine me going to Slytherin. Think I'll leave?"
After that comment, the door slid open for the third time and three boys stood from the entrance. As it turned out, the three boys were looking for Harry and the pale boy in the middle introduced himself and his two companions (or bodyguards, as Ron described them) with their names were Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe and Greggory Goyle. The redhead knew at once who they were and he wouldn't want to associate any of them at all even if he was offered with a thousand Galleons. A small ruckus happened and the three scuttled away from the compartment due to Scabbers's doing (the rat bit Goyle's finger as the bulky boy tried to take some of the remaining sweets lying on the seats). The rest of the day went rather smoothly until they finally reached their destination.
They followed a huge man resembling a giant (whom Harry seemed to know him personally) and took off to the castle by riding on the small, self-moving boats along with the other first years. As they reached to the other side, they continued to follow the giant man until they stood in front of a huge oak door. The giant man knocked on the door three times and waited shortly.
The door opened and standing before them was a tall woman wearing an emerald cloak. Ron immediately could tell that the woman was McGonagall, the professor his older brothers talked about the most when the topic was about the Hogwarts professors. She had sharp brown eyes, thin lips, and had her hair was tied up in a tight bun, wearing a no-nonsense and strict expression on her face.
"The first years," said the man gruffly to the woman.
"Thank you, Hagrid," said McGonagall. When the man called Hagrid left, the woman made a sweeping glance over all the students and said, "If you will follow me." She turned and walked briskly inside and the first years trailed behind her, looking around their surroundings in curiosity. She led them inside an empty room and closing the door, she faced them. "Welcome to Hogwarts, my name is Professor McGonagall -" she made a small introduction of the magical institution and its overall rules and after she was done, she reminded them to clean up and left the room.
The moment she was gone, everyone inside the room began to speak. Harry faced Ron and asked worryingly, "Do you know how we get sorted?"
Ron remembered a vivid vision he had when he was eight; he saw one of his twin brothers sitting on a stool with a tattered old hat on his head, and after a few seconds the hat shouted "GRYFFINDOR!".
"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking." he said thoughtfully, remembering what Fred and George said to him when he got his Hogwarts letter.
He watched Harry's expression, knowing a couple of ideas the famous wizard would be thinking right now. If he wasn't able to see the future (although in flashes), he would be thinking along the same lines. He glanced toward the others and saw some of the first years he encountered during the train ride: Malfoy and his two goons, the round-faced boy who kept losing his toad, and the bushy-haired girl who was quite, in his opinion, a human library.
The door creaked open and McGonagall returned to them, announcing it was time. Everyone lined up in twos and followed her all the way to the Great Hall, which astounded all of the first years, even the purebloods. From where Ron stood, he saw the tattered-looking hat that was perched on the high stool. His heart raced and he wholeheartedly wished he would be sorted to Gryffindor. Everyone inside the hall quieted down, their eyes on the hat. Ron and the rest did what the older students were doing and watched it closely. The rim ripped open and moving as if it's a mouth, the hat began to sing.
Ron tried his best to listen to the song and understood that the Sorting Hat was describing the qualities of each House namely Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. After the song, everyone clapped their hands. "I'm going to kill Fred," laughed Ron. "he was going on about wrestling a troll." He knew he shouldn't believe some of the things his twin brothers would tell him and this was one of those things.
Professor McGonagall strode up the stage and stood beside the Sorting Hat with a roll of parchment in her hand and said loudly, "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted." She glanced down her parchment and called, "Abbott, Hannah!"
A blonde girl wearing pigtails with rosy cheeks walked up the stage, sat on the stool, wore the hat and waited nervously. "HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat, earning cheers from one table on Ron's left. After her followed another girl with red hair and it went on and on.
When Harry's name was called, Ron said good luck to him and watched with interest as much as the other students inside the Great Hall. He didn't expect that the sorting of Harry was longer and the students held their breaths, wanting to know which House the Boy-Who-Lived truly belonged. Almost three minutes had passed and finally the Sorting Hat cried, "GRYFFINDOR!"
The House of Lions erupted in loud cheers as if winning a competition. "We got Potter! We got Potter!" Ron's older twin brothers chanted loudly. Ron could see Harry's relieved expression and wondered which House he almost got sorted before landing on Gryffindor.
It took a few minutes until everyone had settled down. The rest of sorting went by smoothly after and when Ron's name was called, he felt his heart drop. Calm down, it'll be fine, said Ron to himself as he made his way toward the Sorting Hat. He picked up the hat, sat on the stool and wore it. He waited for a bit, feeling nervous and worried.
Another Weasley, eh? A voice echoed inside his mind.
Who're you? questioned Ron quickly, panicked that another voice he was sure wasn't his spoke in his mind.
I'm the Sorting Hat, of course, replied the hat. Now I'm just going to check your mind for a bit so I can sort you. The hat went silent and so did Ron. Yes, as expected, you are brave but also loyal. You'll do well in Gryffindor and Hufflepu – interesting, you possess quite a gift. Seeing is a serious business.
I know that, huffed Ron. I haven't done anything –
Oh, but you're planning on stopping some events you've seen in the near future, continued the hat as if proving a point.
And what's wrong with that? He growled, forgetting about the sorting completely. He didn't notice the curious looks the other students were giving him and the worried expressions from his older brothers. They don't deserve it – especially Fred!
You're not going to change your mind, are you? said the Sorting Hat, sounding amused.
I'm not and you won't be able to convince me, said Ron without missing a beat.
Very well. But remember little Weasley, take responsibility for your actions. I know where to put you now, although you'll protest. The path you will take is harder but I'm sure you'll fare well in the end –
What? Wait -! Gasped Ron, his dread filling him suddenly.
"SLYTHERIN!"
I've always wanted to read a Slytherin!Ron story but there's like less than 20 stories, so I've decided to make one and take a different approach, hopefully.
No, he doesn't know what an Animagus is at the moment but he will in the future. Yes, he did See his older brother Bill getting mauled by Greyback (he doesn't know who he really is but assumes that he is a werewolf), and his older brother Fred getting killed.
As to reacting to Harry, well, I've always perceived Harry as a powerful wizard but (emphasis!) not to the point of becoming a Mage, or Warlock, or some powerful god-deity-something that can rip off anyone into smithereens. I guess if he really harnessed his potential, he'll be as strong as Severus Snape or at least in the same level as Dumbledore (possibly stronger than Dumbledore but not stronger than Merlin) but only just that. Anyway, that's partially my point but what I'm trying to say here is that Ron would react strongly to someone with more magical power, ergo he is able to See more than one when he had contact with Harry in the train.
Lastly, about him being sorted to Slytherin, Ron is an ambitious character in canon so he could've been sorted there. He'll develop some Slytherin traits the longer he'll stay there, for sure.
EDIT: Please be advised that changes of this story will take a tad long. This story is coming from Ron's point of view so what he thinks is minimal change could be major in another point of view, like Harry or Hermione perhaps.