The Adventures of Roonil Wazlib part 1

The Cottage

Ron and Lesch landed in sand. As Ron looked around him, he saw that they were by the sea. In front of him was a small cottage, with seashells embedded in the mortar on its sides. There was soft light glowing in the windows. He still had no idea who this Lesch was, which side he was on, and why he had brought him here. For the moment he was too out of breath to ask.

"Welcome to Shell Cottage," said Lesch, still speaking with an American accent. "We'll be safe here for the time being." The two of them walked toward the cottage, Ron still limping.

Lesch opened the door to a small entryway that had a beautiful stained glass window bearing the Gryffindor crest above the front door. He smelled food; it was intoxicating after weeks of subsisting on rubbery stewed mushrooms and the occasional stolen eggs. Ron's mouth began to water. Lesch beckoned him to sit at the table in the kitchen - there didn't seem to be a dining room. He served Ron a bowl of steaming beef stew and a slice of bread, which Ron decided was his new favorite meal. It was almost as good as the stew his mother often made.

"That was close," said Lesch. "You've really got to be more careful, Ron. There's a bounty on your head. Every snatcher in England has your picture memorized."

"Uhhh, how do you know my name?"

"I've been keeping an eye out for you & your friends. Besides, anybody can tell you're a Weasley just by looking at you," he added with a smirk.

"Who are you, anyway?"

"A friend." Just then a familiar figure, short with a muscular chest & arms covered in burn scars, came out of the bathroom, a towel around his waist & another one drying his bright red hair.

"Charlie!! I've never been so glad to see anyone in my whole life." Ron breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of his older brother, feeling the knot in his stomach start to loosen.

Lesch turned to Ron. "You seem to have a problem with one of your toes. Take off your shoe so I can get a look at it."

Ron did as he was told. He noticed with a shock that the tip of his left pinky toe was gone.

"You must have splinched it on the way in," said Lesch. "I can't grow it back, but I can heal it so it won't hurt quite as much." With another nonverbal spell, Ron's toe was healed over. The pain went down to a dull ache.

"Well done, Burns," said Charlie, while putting on a thick white bathrobe. "You always did have a knack for healing charms."

"Good thing for us, too, or you'd have lost both arms years ago," replied the man. Ron said, "What is your real name? I heard those foul men call you Lesch, but Charlie calls you Burns. What's up with that?"

"Lesch is my undercover name. My actual name is Barnes, but Charlie has called me Burns ever since we started working with dragons together in Romania . You think he has burns on his arms, yo should see mine. I was even more clumsy than Chuckie, which is saying a lot."

"You know I don't like it when you call me Chuckie," said Charlie. He walked over to Burns & put his arm around him. "You're lucky I love you, or you'd be in big trouble. Remember what happened to that Danish witch who called me that?" said Charlie. " Wonder if her nose hairs ever stopped growing?"

Burns gave a soft laugh & kissed Charlie on the forehead. The affection between the two men was palpable, adding to the feeling of warmth and safety the cottage exuded. Normally displays of affection made Ron uncomfortable, but he found these gestures comforting after so many weeks of anxiety & rancor.

"Where are Ron & Hermione?" asked Charlie.

Ron's face turned approximately the same shade of maroon as his jumper. "I, uh, I left them somewhere in a forest. I'm not sure where it is."

Burns' face grew incredulous. "You LEFT them?!? Why would you do that, Ron? You know it's not safe for the three of you anywhere in Britain, don't you?"

Again with people thinking Ron was stupid. No wonder his self esteem was so low. "We got into an argument. Those two were constantly talking behind my back. I think they fancy each other."

Charlie sighed. "You know better than that, Ron. I know I've only met them once or twice, but I could tell how much they care for you. Besides, aren't you & Hermione boyfriend & girlfriend? I don't think Harry would come between you two."

"That's just the thing, Charlie. I don't know if I even have feelings for Hermione. I wonder if I ever really did, or if I was just glad to have a girlfriend. It's all a mess, I've fucked everything up, and I'm not sure how to fix it."

Charlie gave Ron a stern look. "Well, you're going to have to. You know you can't just leave them to fend for themselves. They need you."

"They need me like they need a hole in the head. I'm useless, Charlie, I don't think I bring anything useful to the group." Ron slunk down in his chair.

"That's not true, Ron. We've talked about this before. The only thing you lack is confidence" 'Not to mention insight,' Charlie thought.

"Enough of that," said Burns, giving Charlie a significant look. "Go get dressed, Chuck. Bill & Fleur should be arriving any minute now. I don't want her ogling my man again."

DEAREST READER: Thanks again for reading my work. It's harder to write this stuff than I thought it would be, but immensely satisfying. The next chapter is tough. I might go back to Harry & Hermione - they'll mostly be talking about Ron, as he's the focus of the story. Or I might return to Shell Cottage, where you'll see Bill & Fleur, likely other visitors. Either way I'm still trying to figure it out. Any advice or suggestions are welcome.