Chapter 1
It was early, very early, on a Sunday morning, when Rhona Cedrella Weasley woke up. She stretched in her bed and let out a huge yawn. She got out from under her orange quilted covers and padded over to her dresser, pulling out a pair of denim jeans, which were a hand-me-down from her mother, a pair of mismatched fuzzy socks, her undergarments, and an orange chudley cannon’s shirt. She headed out of her room and into the adjacent bathroom, to take a quick shower and brush out her super curly copper locks.
Once she was done with her quick shower, she was poised to head down the steep stairs when she overheard two voices coming from the bedroom in front of her. Specifically, her two older brother’s voices coming from the twins’ room as she went to pass by it.
“Okay Gred, when we sneak in we have to be super quiet. You know Rhona is a light sleeper. Now how are we going to incorporate the spider we found?”
“Shh! You don't want Percy to overhear us! You know that he’ll try to get us in trouble.”
She internally shuddered. Oh god not again. She was absolutely terrified of spiders, and her older brothers knew that. Everyone in the house did. She would see them and shriek, and freeze up. Someone always had to come and banish it away from her, for her to even think about calming down. That was the problem. The twins, Fred and George, were always out to get her. They thought of themselves as pranksters when really, she was starting to resent them for their actions towards her and her brother Percy. They always picked on her and Percy when no one was looking or paying any attention, which admittedly was more often than not these days.
Percy was the only safe person besides Charlie that she trusted of her siblings. Bill was distant, as he was much older, Fred and George were always out to get her or scare her, and Ginnerva was the golden child. She could do no wrong; she was the baby of the family. As the older sister of the family, and the first born girl, she was pushed aside by her parents, no longer fawned over, left to be forgotten. But her mother and father didn't do it intentionally, she thought, or rather hoped. Ginny just needed more attention, it was just in her personality. So Percy and Charlie taught her. Percy taught her to read and write, and play chess, and Charlie taught her how to fly on a broom for the first time, and swim in the lake near the Burrow.
She crept backwards, and up the worn creaky stairs up to the third floor, to Percy’s bedroom, and knocked softly on the door.
“Percy, are you awake? It's me, Rhona. Can I come in?” she asked quietly, just in case he was indeed asleep. She was hoping he wasn't, as she needed somewhere safe to hide, and his room was peaceful.
Percy opened his door, looking drowsy, as if he had just woken up himself. He probably had just woken up too.
“Come on in, Rhon. Let me guess, it's the twins again?”
She looked up at him with pleading eyes.
“Mhm! Spiders this time. They were going to wake me up with one on my chest. A nice prank, they called it.”
“Of course, well, come in, make yourself comfortable. You know where the books you can read are already.”
“Thank you Percy. I really appreciate it.”
She followed him into his room, and sat on the bed next to him, scooting back so her back was against the wall.
“Well what do you want to do while we wait for breakfast to be done?”
“Big brother, will you read to me about Hogwarts again?” She batted her eyelashes at him.
He reached over and ruffled her hair affectionately.
“Sure. Want me to read you Hogwarts: A History again? I swear by the time you actually go you’ll have the book itself memorized.”
“Yes please! I just want to be prepared.”
“It's okay little sis, I know. Now, where did we leave off last time?”
“Will you tell me about the hallways and the moving staircase again? Where are the different dormitories? And where are the ways to the kitchen located?”
“You and your food...”Percy shook his head fondly at his little sister.
“What?!? I'm a growing girl. By this time next year I’ll be nearly as tall as Charlie, just you wait.”
“Mhm, sure you will. Now, let's begin.” And he read to her, answering her questions to the best of his ability and knowledge.
Soon, he was finished with the chapter so he walked to the book shelf and put the book back, pulling back the other book he wanted to show her. It was a second hand of a second hand book, very well loved, but it was new to him, like it was new to Charlie, and like it was new to Bill as well. It was Arithmancy: Numbers and Logic.. It was a level two book, but Rhona could follow along well enough. If she had any questions, he was always more than glad to answer them.
They were both deeply enthralled in the bowels of the book, with her leaning against his shoulder, almost on chapter three, Numbers and Sequences when they heard it.
“FRED! George! You get in here this instant!” Was heard from their mother Molly, sounding from about the second floor, where Rhona’s bedroom was.
It was followed by sounds of heavy feet thudding up stairs and laughter. She shuddered. It seemed that whatever prank was meant for her, their mother had fallen into the trap instead. At least this time it wasn't her. She giggled at the thought of the twins getting into trouble for once, burying her face into her brother’s arm.
“The twins are going to get it this time. That was most definitely mom.”
“You think they’ll ever learn?” He asked skeptically.
He looked down at her, and truly grinned, a rare treat.
“Nah.” Rhona sighed out.
“Maybe you and I will be safe for a couple of days?”
All of a sudden she had a very serious look on her face and asked him,
“Do you think it would be strategically smart of me to ask Great Aunt Muriel about proper pureblood customs?”
He stopped and looked at her, contemplating her very serious question, before looking her in the eyes and nodding slowly.
“I think, with how the climate at Hogwarts is, I would ask her to teach you during the winter holidays, because you know how mother and father feel about that kind of thing. They will not allow it. But before you go to Hogwarts this September, I will at least teach you how to introduce yourself formally. And in return, will you teach me what Great Aunt Muriel teaches you?” he said finally.
She also nodded slowly, contemplating how to get away with his grand scheme without tipping off her brothers or parents. She turned and hugged him around the waist, tightly. He leaned into it and ruffled her hair.
“Thank you. You don't know how much I appreciate you.”
He smiled down at her again, “It's okay, I have some idea.”
Their sibling cuddle fest was interrupted by Molly shouting up from the first floor, probably with a sonorous charm, “BREAKFAST!”
After they all ate, she immediately snuck past Fred and George, who were too busy talking to their father, and Ginevra, who was having her hair brushed by their mother, and went right back to Percy’s bedroom on the third floor of the house, but not before stopping at one of the junk drawers, and nicking a special stamp head, that was engraved with the Weasley family crest and was completely unused by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, as they didn't believe in any pureblood customs or the culture of it. It was insignificant enough to them that they wouldn't notice it even ever missing. She quickly rinsed it under the very hot water to clean it before dashing away up the steep narrow steps that lead to the bedrooms.
Once she climbed all three flights, she darted into her big brother’s room. He was already in there, laying on his bed, back propped by pillows, reading, or rather, rereading the fifth year curriculum Runes book that was handed down from Charlie, his older brother, which again, was Bill’s book. He rarely, if ever, was given something new.
“Hey Percy, can I have some parchment and a quill and ink to use? I want to write the letter.”
“Sure, it's in the desk drawer. Go and take what you need.”
She then padded over to the small decrepit desk that looked like it was standing on its last legs, literally, and opened the small compartment. It was neatly organised with different lengths of parchment, various quills, and different colored inks left over from previous school years at Hogwarts. Some were nearly empty, and some were completely dried up, but she quickly looked through and was able to find what she needed. He also had wax for sealing stamps which worked out conveniently for what she needed to do.
She took her time, and wrote in her neatest handwriting, to her Great Aunt Muriel,
Dearest Great Aunt Muriel,
I know you haven't heard from me due to the tensions between you and Molly. I am Rhona Cedrella Weasley, the oldest daughter of the Weasley clan. I will be entering my very first year of Hogwarts come this September. I am writing to inquire if you would not mind teaching me the customs and culture of proper pureblood society. My parents Molly and Arthur deemed it unfit for all seven of us children to know these important lessons and knowledge even though we are indeed pureblood wizards. I find it unseemly that I myself do not know how to comport myself in polite society. If you find what I ask agreeable, please write to me back, after the first day of Hogwarts.
With Hopeful Regards,
Rhona Cedrella Weasley.
She folded up the letter neatly and put it in a white envelope, and pulled out the wax sealing spoon and a candle.
“Percy, can you light this for me? Mom says I’m not allowed to use fire unsupervised.”
“Sure, although I'm pretty sure she’ll be even more upset about what you are doing rather than you playing with fire.”
He stuck a match and lit the candle, passing it back to her.
“You think so?” Rhona asked nervously, hesitating on whether or not to go through with the plan. Percy must not have noticed her internal conflict of interest.
“Here you go, be careful now not to burn yourself. Mom would skin us both alive if she found out what you were doing. Leave no evidence behind, remember that.” He said before turning back to continue reading his book.
She chose three pellets of bright red wax, and placed them in the cup shaped spoon, and held it over the candle on the desk. Rhona watched as the wax began to liquify from the heat of the flame. Once it was completely melted, she pulled the Weasley stamp head out from her trouser pocket, and poured the wax in a neat pile. It wasn't normal candle wax, it was thick and viscous, almost elastic in quality. She waited a second for the wax to cool off before pressing the embossed metal into it, being careful to apply even pressure and held it there until the wax became opaque again, signifying that it was completely hardened.
“Thank you Percy. I’ll be right back.”
She quickly padded out of his room, and down the stairs, being sure to step over the narrow step that always creaked, as to not alert anyone of what she was doing and where she was going, and entered her room, and shut her door and locked it. It wasn't as if anyone couldn't use alohomora or anything, but it gave her a sort of false sense of security.
Rhona went back over to her dresser, and opened the drawer with her bras and underwear, moving them aside. Underneath the clothing, was a small keylock. With the key she always kept on her person, she unlocked the false bottom to the drawer, to reveal where she kept her diary, her chocolate frog card collection, and now, this letter. It was where she kept her contraband and most prized possessions, hidden securely away from the prying eyes of her brothers, sister, and parents. She would have to come back for the letter when they did their shopping for the upcoming school year.
“Come on now, hurry up. Speak loud and speak clearly! Say it with me now, Diagon Alley! Fred, George, dears you go first.”
The identical twin brothers each grabbed a handful of floo powder and one by one, flooed to the alleyway. Next, Molly went through and then Ginevra followed by her father Arthur. That just left Rhona and Percy.
Rhona was nervous and turned to her big brother.
"Are you sure about this? It looks scary."
"I'm sure, Rhona.”
“But what if I go to the wrong place accidentally?”
“That won't happen, you enunciate very well.”
“But what if I encounter a mountain troll?”
“Really, a mountain troll? You know about them, you know where they dwell.”
“But what if-”
“Rhona, are you trying to stall us for any particular reason?”
“Um... Maybe?”
Percy let out a deep sigh. He knew Rhona was trying to get it so they could break off from the group to deliver the letter to the Owl Emporium, but he also thought she might have been a little scared for the future. She would be going to Hogwarts soon, and she would be leaving home for the very first time. Logically, anyone would be a bit scared. He sure knew he was, but he wouldn't admit it to anyone, except maybe Rhona but that was a hard maybe.
“Rhona, it's going to be okay. Mother and Father will be so distracted between Ginevra and the twins’ antics that they’ll hardly notice us, even if we slip away for a minute or two. I promise it will be alright.”
“Are you sure? If mother and father find this letter...” Rhona trailed off, all serious all of a sudden.
“I’m sure. Now let's go. Grab a pinch of floo powder and throw it in, and speak clearly. Say Diagon Alley in a firm tone. You’ll do great, Rhona”
And so she did just that, and Percy could only hope that she made it through gracefully, as everyone’s first trip by floo or two by themselves was a bit different and difficult. But when they both finally made it through, there was no one but Rhona on the other side. Well, there were other people, but none of the other Weasley's were anywhere to be seen. Rhona seemed to be frozen in shock at the fact. She looked at Percy, and he saw for the first time in a while, the lost child she really was.
"They... They left us? They left us behind. I can't.... Well I can but still... How could mother and father not notice we weren't with them? Do they just not care?..." She wondered out loud trailing off.
"It seems they did. But look on the bright side. Now we can head off to the post office without delay or suspicion. Let's make haste." Percy said quietly.
He gently grabbed her hand and led her through the groups of witches and wizards to their determined destination. The post office was a bustling place, with many witches and wizards both coming and going, and owls and other large birds flying in and out through open windows. Rhona hesitated at the door of the shop and turned to her big brother.
“Do you think Great Aunt Muriel will respond? Do you think she’ll like me if she does respond? Do you think she’ll be disappointed in me like I know mum is?” Rhona asked at a rapid pace.
“I think she’ll like you Rhona. It’s impossible not to.” He said before ruffling her hair fondly. “Even if she doesn’t you’ll always have me and Charlie, I promise. We’d figure out what to do.”
Rhona took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. She would do this for herself. It was something she felt would be important to know later on in life and she knew she couldn’t rely on her mother to help her with it, she only hoped that no one would find out until it was too late.
She marched through the doors up to the front desk with Percy trailing behind her. When she reached the seat she looked up at a young woman with chocolate brown hair and warm cinnamon colored eyes. She had a name tag that read ‘Miranda O’Conor’. When she noticed the young girl she smiled warmly.
“How can I help you dear.” Miranda spoke in a soft Irish lilt.
“Do you mind sending this to my great aunt Muriel? I don’t have an owl so I can’t send it myself. Please ma’am.” Rhona said, looking up at the women with her soft pleading eyes.
“Sure dear. It’ll cost ya two knutts to send. Is that alright?” Miranda inquired.
Percy stepped forward and handed over the two knutts that he swooped from the twins room earlier that day knowing they wouldn’t notice it was missing.
“Here ma’am” he said while dropping his other hand to Rhona’s shoulder.
Once the two of them saw that the letter was sent off, they exited the shop and gazed around the alley, trying to gleam a sight of the distinct shade of red of the Weasley family’s hair. They were nowhere to be seen, it seemed.
"Where do you think they are?"
"They couldn't have gotten far. It's not time for Ginevra to get a wand yet, and they're giving you Grandmother's wand-"
"What? I didn't know that. When did you hear that?" She said shocked.
"A few nights ago. I overheard mother and father talking when they thought we were all in bed. They had to decide between getting Ginevra new clothing or you a wand and-" Percy was cut off abruptly. He immediately realized why when Rhona stopped walking with him completely.
"They chose her over me?" Rhona sounded utterly defeated.
“They might have but I never will. I swear to you that you are mine to take care of my favorite sibling. I will always choose you over any of the others, Rhona. Don’t let anyone tell you differently. I knew you would be mine to protect when I held your in my lap for the first time. I’m the one who read to you to put you to sleep. I’m the one who rocked you to stop your crying. And I promise you I will never put anything over your well being little sister." He said before drawing her into a strong warm hug, stroking her hair to try and calm her down.
He could tell she was devastated. He could tell that the weight of the neglect at the hand of their parents that was pushed onto her was laying heavy in her mind and wanted to take some of it off.
“I will always love you Rhona. You and Charlie are the siblings of my heart as well as my blood”. He muttered into her copper curly locks.
Eventually they did find the rest of the family, at the bookstore aptly named Flourish and Blotts. They walked through the doorway hand in hand and looked around, taking in where their brothers, sister, and parents were throughout the rather large bookstore.
Molly, Arthur, and Ginevra were in the children's section, but the twins were nowhere to be seen, at least not at first. As they got closer to where the first through third year curriculum was, the twins actually spotted them first.
The twins snuck up behind the two of them, whispering all the while between themselves. Rhona noticed almost right away, always the hyper vigilant one, and this sent her into overdrive. Her body tensed up and her mind and heart began racing.
'Oh god not again. They're always plotting against me. What did I ever do to deserve this treatment?' she thought to herself. Without noticing, she took a step forwards and grabbed onto Percy's robes.
Percy looked back behind him at the tugging sensation on his outer robes and frowned when he looked where Rhona was gazing. His younger brothers were looking back and forth between each other and them, and whispering, conspiring with each other.
He gently reached for her arm and guided her through to the opposite side of the store without the twins noticing them slipping away.
"Rhona, are you okay?" He asked once they were away.
"I am now. Thank you Percy." Rhona replied, looking pale and shaky.
"Don't worry about Fred and George. I promise I won't let them hurt you. I'll stop any plans to prank you. If I can help it, I'll always do my very best for you."
"Y-you really mean it?" She said while sniffling. No one had ever protected her like he had.
He delicately wiped away her unshed tears.
"Always." Percy promised his younger sister.
Eventually her tears stopped, and Percy helped her pick out the few new things she would actually need from school. Her books would be hand-me-downs, as would most of her outer robes, with the exception of her undergarments and dress shirts and skirts. She was the first and eldest daughter of the Weasley's.
The new things were rang up, and Mrs. Weasley reluctantly handed over to the salesperson the twelve galleons almost worth of books, parchments, inks and quills. Everything else on the list would be either second hand from her brothers or thrifted.
After they gathered all together again, they headed home and put away their new-to-them belongings.
Rhona's heart was breaking though. she went directly up to Percy's room and flopped onto his bed and asked him,
"Percy, why do the twins hate me? Did I do something wrong? Was it because I was born a girl? It can't be that; they're nice to Ginerva but not me..." She asked solemnly.
Meanwhile outside Percy's door, Fred and George froze. They were walking down the hallway when they overheard their little sister's voice.
"Fred, does she really think that we hate her?"
"It sounds like it, George."
"But I don't hate her, do you?"
"No, I don't hate her either."
"We're going to have to do something about this soon. After all, she's going to Hogwarts this coming September."
"Okay but what?" Fred asked despondently.
"I don't know." George replied.
It seems they had work to do.
The day before September first came rolling around and Rhona was a nervous wreck. She had triple checked her bags to make sure that everything on the list was there.
She was surprised with a gift in the way of having a new familiar, or in this case, a hand me down pet Rat that their mother had caught in the back garden from Percy. Scabbers had been his before, but he had recently gotten the letter that congratulated him on becoming a prefect. It was one of the few times he enjoyed being selected for something and his parents had recognised his hard work for the first time in his life that he could remember. Simply, they had gotten Percy his very own owl, almost exactly three years too little too late.
Either way Rhona and the others were all to go together to Kings Cross station per instructions via Albus Dumbledore himself. But first she had to check just one more time that she had everything she needed. She was on the edge of her bed sitting down, with all of the things that she would need for the upcoming school year strewed out across the bedspread. All of a sudden there was a knock on her door and she looked up from stacking her textbooks into her trunk. It, like everything else, was a hand-me-down.
"Rhon?"
She looked up from her now well-worn parchment with her Hogwarts School welcoming letter and supply list on it, something she had religiously read and reread, packed and repacked.
"Oh hey Percy!" She greeted him quickly before going back to what she was doing before he entered the room. She continued on, methodically organizing her school supplies, this time by color and vial size, and parchment lengths.
Percy walked further into the room and shut the door behind him. He then sat on her bed next to her. She leaned up against him almost cat-like and wrapped her arms around him into a hug. Percy responded by resting his chin on top of her head and leaning into the hug. They stayed like this for what seemed like forever, until Rhona shifted and pulled away slightly to look up at him.
"Hey Percy, is there something you wanted?"
"Nope just coming to check in on my favorite little sis but shh! Don't tell Ginevra that I said that."
She let out a soft giggle. It was nice to be put first for once.
"Thank you Percy, it means a lot to me." She beamed up at him in radiating joy.
He ruffled her hair again fondly.
"Not a problem kiddo now let's get you packed for good this time."
"Okay!"
It was the next morning and Rhona was very reluctant to get up out of her bed. This would be the last time she would be sleeping in it for a good almost year, or, at least until the summer had passed. That was conditional though on her plan working, and great aunt Muriel actually going through with it. She was very nervous about that aspect.
A gentle knock on her door made her startle from her deep thoughts and she called out,
"Come in!"
Hoping it would be Percy and silently dreading if it would be Fred or George.
It was her mother, which was very unexpected. She never gave her the time of day usually.
"Mother?" She asked almost timidly. She had been dreading this interaction, hoping that Percy would be wrong for once. He never was, at least not often.
"Oh Rhona... I can't believe you're going to Hogwarts for the first time. Oh you're going to absolutely love it. Now, I know you were wondering about getting a wand of your own, but you know that wands are very expensive. That's why, Arthur, your father I mean, and I wanted to give you this."
And she revealed a delicately wrapped long and narrow box that fine jewelry would come in, wrapped in very old looking newspapers.
"This," and she proudly handed over the box like it was her most prized possession, "Was your paternal grandmother's wand. I want you to have it to use. It would mean so very much to me."
Rhona internally wanted to scream. Her own mother didn't want to get her a wand of her own. Her own mother. It was well known that the wand chose the wizard and not the other way around. How dare she. But, she kept her mouth shut and forced a smile onto her face and nodded her head in agreement.
"Thank you mother, I don't know what to say. I'll treat it very carefully." Rhona said with internal malice towards her mother.
Apparently that was what Molly wanted to hear, because she nodded her head back and left the room after handing the wand to Rhona.
Once Molly had left the room and shut the door though, her false smile dropped immediately. How could her mom do this to her? A few tears stubbornly sat in the corner of her eyes that refused to fall.
She did the only thing she could think of and sought out her big brother Percy. He was in his room with the door open, sitting down on the bed, luggage trunk packed and shut tight.
"P-percy... You were right. Mother and f-father... They won't let me get a wand. Instead I am to use grandmother Cedrella's wand. We b-both know it's not going to work well for me. They're just setting me up for failure instead of success." Rhona let out a soft sob of despair.
"Oh Rhona... It's going to be okay. Here. Come here Rhona." He whispered comfortingly. He had warned her that this would happen but to actually see her this upset broke him a little bit.
Eventually her tears turned to sniffles, which turned into dried tears, streaking down her face. You would think she would be used to this kind of hurting by now but she wasn't. She was just a ten year old girl beginning her trek into proper wizarding society.
"BREAKFAST!" Was heard from down the stairs.
She looked up to her big brother.
"Do I have to go?" she nearly pleaded with her brother.
He sighed deeply.
"Yes. This will be the last time you see them for quite awhile. It would make do to make at least an appearance. You wouldn't want our mother or father to become suspicious of your plan."
It was her turn to let out a sigh, mainly at the situation and herself. She knew she had to go down but she felt so conflicted. She felt safe here with Percy alone and this too would end too soon. No more would she be able to hide in his bedroom away from the twins, or sneak up to his room after dinner to read with him. She would be in a dorm with other girls her own age and he would be in his own dorm in a different part of the tower. Well, she could go to him, but he wouldn't be able to get to her to comfort her over a bad dream anymore.
As the minutes ticked by, and she waged an inner war with herself, this time it was Arthur who called out,
"FRED, GEORGE, PERCY AND RHONA, BREAKFAST! I'M NOT GOING TO CALL YOU AGAIN!"
"We need to go down. It seems we aren't the only ones who would be getting in trouble this time."
They both let out a deep sigh. She nodded and the two of them made their way out of his bedroom and down all three flights of stairs to the ground floor kitchen. As reluctant as she was, Rhona was well and truly hungry. This was proven by the rumbling of her stomach at the smell of the fresh cooked bacon and eggs and the sight of the pumpkin juice sitting on the table. She always loved her mother's cooking and food was her favorite thing about being at home.
Over breakfast the conversation was light and flowing, never staying on one topic for too long until the subject of Hogwarts is brought up.
"So Rhona, are you excited for your first year of Hogwarts?" Arthur asked, as he passed Fred, or was it George, the platter of fried sausage patties.
"Yes father. I'm excited to see the castle. Hogwarts: A History said that there was a magically enchanted moving staircase?"
He let out a laugh.
"Yes, but I won't spoil it too much though. I want you to experience the castle for yourself. It's a magical place to be after all."
After breakfast, they all went to grab and pack the few last minute things before they flooed to Kings Cross station. Rhona was about to begin her very own journey to Hogwarts.