Story: Moira
Chapter Twenty One: Breaking Family Secrets

The dinner was a noisy affair. The captives of the champions were dining together with the three champions. To give them their privacy, their friend groups sat together and away from them by the end of the table.

Sitting beside Ginny and Sirius, Harry noticed the latter in deep thought, his eyebrows furrowed in worry.

"So, you like skinny dipping?" Nathaniel Beaumont, Alarie's brother asked. Ginny nodded reluctantly. The question was addressed to her after all.

Harry snorted into his glass of pumpkin juice as Ginny answered another awkward question from Nathaniel.

"Eet's dangerous, eesn't eet?" Alarie asked Charlie, who was talking to her about dragons.

"It is when you don't know about them and creep up behind their backs. Expect a roasted human if you do so."

Harry couldn't help but observe the similarities between Ron and Charlie. Charlie was making insane jokes just like Ron.

"Harry."

Harry looked at Ginny with raised eyebrows. "What?"

"Oh! I didn't call you," she replied, blushing slightly.

"I know that. What were you talking about me?"

"Just telling how overprotective a friend you are," Ginny replied, twirling her spoon in between her hands as if it were a stick.

To further suggest that, Harry put an arm around her shoulder. "Oh, yeah!"

"Harry!" Ginny exclaimed.

"Yeah?"

Sirius looked at him oddly but Harry disregarded him. He looked down then took one last sip from his glass of pumpkin juice and stood up.

"I – er have to get going. Meeting – ahem. I have a meeting." Sirius excused himself from the table after everyone bid him goodbye. Harry's eyes never left his godfather's retreating figure to the other end of the table until:

"Save me from this mad bloke," Ginny hissed into Harry's ear.

"Er – I need to get going too," he whispered back into her ear. "Bathroom!"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "I don't need the details, get going."

"See you," Harry said and, with a wink at Alarie, he kissed Ginny's cheek and left, leaving a beaming Alarie, blushing Ginny, stunned Nathaniel and a suspicious Charlie behind. He followed Sirius and Ron to the grounds from afar.

The father-son pair strolled around the lake's bank as he followed them stealthily. They stopped near a tree – the oak tree which held many memories.

Harry crept behind another great tree and he could make out what they were talking.

"I'm so glad you are here but, blimey! You scared me dad."

Sirius ruffled Ron's hair with a smile unlike his own. "I'm sorry, son."

"Did you try the bacon sandwiches? They were as good as Uncle Reg's!" Ron exclaimed, looking like a child. Sirius laughed.

"Yes, yes I did."

"So, what will you do, dad? Teach me to become an animagus like Harry?"

"Sure, son. Maybe after you pass out of Durmstrang. I don't have the potion which will reveal which animal you are and it takes a bit to brew it."

"I'm super excited!"

"But, I don't think my news will give you the same excitement."

"What's the news, dad?" Ron asked, horrified. "I-is Harry in trouble?"

"No, no. Nothing with Harry. It's just that. . . your long lost mother is. . . in this country," Sirius let out. Ron's face lit up with enthusiasm.

"Really?! Where is Mum? I want to see her! How is she doing?" Ron asked, jumping up and down excitedly.

"The thing is. . . she isn't my wife –"

"Too reckless, are you dad?" Ron teased.

"No. Or maybe I am, but that's another story. She – I know her but she," Sirius struggled. Harry looked on with a steel expression. "Ron. I'm sorry, kid, but you are my adopted child. I don't have a kid of my own nor am I married like I lied before."

Ron was shocked. He was as white as milk and Harry was hoping he wouldn't faint.

"W-what? W-why?"

"They were after your sister but mistakenly kidnapped you." There was no need to specify who 'they' were. It was obvious. "Regulus saw a crying baby in an alleyway and bro –" but Sirius couldn't complete his sentence for Ron had turned and ran away from him and from the grounds itself. Sirius fell to his knees in unshed sobs. Harry slowly emerged from the tree and walked to him.

Kneeling down in front of him, he put an assuring arm on Sirius's shoulders. "I failed you, Harry. . . Now I failed Ron too. . . It's been a life of lies and failure, eh?" Sirius asked with no humor in his usually cheerful voice. Harry couldn't say anything and let Sirius hug him as a means of comfort.

"I'm at least glad you admitted the truth to him. He will understand and even if he doesn't, know one thing, Sirius," Harry said, then added, "My respect for you has increased ten fold, Padfoot."

__________________

Ron ran away, not believing what he had just heard. His father's words cut deeper than any knife could and he had no idea how he would face the world.

In his aimless run, Ron stumbled into Hermione.

"Oh! Ron! I'm so sorry, I didn't – Ron? Are you. . . crying?"

"No, it's nothing. Don't bother," Ron said and tried to leave, but she grabbed his hand and dragged him to a portrait.

"Hogwarts: A History," she murmured the password and the portrait swung open. She dragged him into it and forced him down on the the sofa in front of the fire. "What's wrong, Ron? I can tell by your face and your eyes. This is the Head's quarters, so don't worry about being heard."

"He said. . . he isn't my real dad," Ron whispered. He did not trust his voice at the moment. Hermione took his hand and nodded lightly for him to go on. "I-I was kidnapped instead of my sister and when they realized that I was the wrong person they threw me away. . ."

Hermione gasped, then held his hand tighter. "Oh, Ron. . ."

"Uncle Reg found me and they adopted me. . . Dad always told that I have a wonderful mother who left us. . . He never told me my mother wasn't his wife nor that I was adopted. Funny, isn't it? 'Ol me is always the outcast; always the left out; always behind Harry; always unloved."

"Oh Ron," Hermione whispered, then pulled him close and hugged him tightly. He let her hold him as he broke down, feeling really low about life. "Sirius might have only wanted you to become more mature before confessing. Look, he thought you to be mature enough to understand and told you the truth, but you ran away. Ron, even if you are adopted, you were always loved as much as Harry by Sirius and Regulus Black. You have told many tales about them and from that their love for you is nothing less."

"W-what about my real family then? Why didn't they –"

"Search for you?" Hermione asked. Ron nodded against her bushy hair. "I'm sure they would have searched for you. No mother and father would be able to bear the pain of losing a son. We just don't know their story yet."

Ron nodded lightly and they stayed the same way for a while. The fire reflected on their faces, throwing merry scarlet glows in front of them. Ron suddenly withdrew from the embrace. Nevertheless, he did not leave Hermione's hand.

"Hermione. I want you to come with me," he said in a firm tone. Hermione blinked in shock before she was pulled up to her feet.

"Ron, I don't think I shou –" Hermione was interrupted by a determined looking Ron.

"You are the one who set right my brain, so I need you with me as I talk. Now come along!" Ron said and pulled her out of the portrait hole. They practically ran to the grounds where they saw Harry and his dad talking, facing the Durmstrang boat. Although Ron wanted to leave them alone, he wanted to apologize to his dad. As they neared the duo, Harry turned to him on instinct.

"Blimey mate! Can you stop shoving jump scares in my face?!" Ron chided and Hermione laughed lightly. Sirius smiled but Harry's expression did not falter. "Dad, I-I –"

"Ahem," Harry cut in as he stood up. "I think I better get going. Good night, Hermione, Sirius." With that, Harry left the trio.

"I think I should too –" Hermione started, but Ron tightened his grip on her hand.

"No. I need you to stay," Ron told her, then looked at his confused father. "Dad, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have run away just like that. I never thought how badly it would have hurt you," he said, slightly breathless.

"I don't care, dad. I don't care that you adopted me. In fact, I'm happy that you did because I never would have grown up into a man if it weren't for you," Ron concluded. Sirius' lips quivered and he shakily took Ron into a bear hug. When they broke apart, they looked so identical with joy that Hermione could not tell that Ron was not Sirius's blood son.

"My son has become so mature," Sirius said proudly, patting Ron's shoulder. Ron blushed lightly before pointing at Hermione.

"She's the reason," he said. "She's the reason why I came to my senses."

Sirius smiled widely at Hermione. "And who might you be, young lady?"

Hermione cleared her throat, afraid that her voice might break due to all the emotions flying around, then answered: "I'm Hermione Granger, sir. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"No 'sir' business and it's completely my pleasure to meet Ron's special friend."

Hermione blushed as Ron mouthed 'dad!' to a smirking Sirius.

"Alright, I guess I should get going. I still have some study left to do," Hermione started. Sirius nodded lightly and Ron looked slightly put out. Nevertheless, he pulled her towards him and kissed her cheek.

"Thanks, Hermione," he whispered in her ear. She felt her face go warm but smiled at him when they pulled away from the hug.

"Good night, Sirius. Good night, Ron."

After Hermione left, Ron took Sirius on yet another stroll around the lake's bank. This time, Sirius was talking rapidly.

"As far as I know, your sister and brother are right here, at Hogwarts."

"You mean my sister who was supposed to be kidnapped?" Ron asked. Sirius nodded. "How d'you know?"

"When I received you, you were wrapped in a thick blue blanket with the name 'Ronald' embroidered on it. That's how I found out your name. Funny, huh? You never stopped crying until I carried you, the reason why I'm your father instead of your founder, Regulus," Sirius said fondly. Ron smiled. "Reg was a Death Eater back then. He said that the rumors were flying that You-Know-Who needed a girl. . . The only girl of the Weasley family."

Long chapter! Nearly reached 2k words so I had to end it there.

So the truth is finally broken to Ron! It isn't yet to Ginny ;)

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Thank you for reading!

Miyoko x