Chapter 13: Certified Genius
The Burrow
Ronald Bilius Weasley
July 8, 1989, Saturday
Ron and his mother, Molly Weasley, were now standing in the waiting area of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
As for how they got there... Of course, they had used the Floo Travel, the most common method of transportation in the wizarding world.
Frankly, the process was quite simple. All it took was a fireplace connected to the Floo Network and Floo Powder.
Ron was the first to enter the fireplace in their living room after his father, and after stating the name of St. Mungo's, the place he wanted to go, he threw a handful of floo powder into the fireplace beneath his feet.
And after the emerald green flames consumed him, he found himself in one of the fireplaces overlooking St. Mungo's waiting room.
Of course, the main reason this journey was smooth was that they had chosen a public fireplace as their destination.
Private fireplaces were usually kept closed when not in use to avoid creating security vulnerabilities. And if they were open, other security measures were implemented to prevent unauthorized access.
The most common security measure was the fireplace ledgers, which determined access rights. Only those whose names were in these ledgers could use them.
Otherwise, anyone wishing to access a fireplace had to contact the owner, request permission, and ask them to remove the restriction.
The fireplace in Burrow also had a fireplace ledger.
On the other hand, some fireplaces were protected by passwords.
And some fireplaces might be located in areas protected by wards. In that case, the person's name also had to be written in the ward ledger, or the wards had to be temporarily deactivated.
Upon reaching his destination, Ron waited a second before stepping out of the fireplace and going to his father, who was waiting for him.
A common feature of floo travel or other magical travel methods was that attempting to move before the magic wore off would trigger a reaction.
This could result in people arriving face down or being thrown out of the fireplace in rather unpleasant ways.
Many people wouldn't experience this problem, but it was a frequent issue for those with particularly quick reflexes, like Harry.
Just as Ron reached his father, he saw his mother emerge from another fireplace and approach them.
"Molly, you wait here. I'll go and talk to the Welcome Witch," his father, Arthur Wesley, said, and then went to speak with someone at a desk just outside the waiting area.
If Ron remembers correctly, the welcome witch at St Mungo's did the same job as receptionists in the Muggle world.
Meanwhile, his mother cleaned the soot off both of them with a cleaning charm. The worst part of traveling with the Floo Network was being covered in soot afterwards.
"Ron, there's nothing to worry about, sweetie. We're just here to make sure you're okay with your health, alright?" his mother said.
"I know, Mum," Ron said, while his father spoke to the welcome witch in the distance.
Even from afar, Ron could see his father struggling to explain his current situation. And Ron could more or less understand why.
After all, he wasn't sick or injured. Given his condition, the most logical course of action was to undergo a general check-up. But check-ups usually meant being examined by more than one healer.
And that meant general check-ups were expensive. So, most likely, his father was trying to clarify the situation as much as possible with the welcome witch and arrange an appointment with the most suitable healer for his condition.
Frankly, Ron didn't want to strain his family's limited financial resources like this. Still, if he wanted to use his abilities and build a business empire, he needed his situation clarified as soon as possible.
Otherwise, he might have to hide his abilities and wait for many years. But Ron didn't want that.
And coming to St. Mungo's wasn't a random or hasty decision. He hadn't made this decision relying on the possibility that the healers would examine him and then give his family a logical explanation.
That would be playing Pollyanna.
Ron had a medical reason for making this plan: Early Awakening.
This wasn't just a situation that allowed Ron to receive a reward from the system; it was also a medical condition with various effects. Late Awakening was also a similar medical condition.
Ron had encountered information about this in the History of Magic books he had read. Contrary to Ron's expectations, the History of Magic books weren't solely about Goblin Rebellion. In fact, they didn't even touch on this subject until the fourth year.
He didn't understand why all the fanfics he read portrayed this subject as being entirely about Goblin Rebellion.
But the sources where Ron found the most detailed information about early awakening were the History of Magic books by Ilvermorny and Beauxbatons.
Hogwarts books had a few sentences and anecdotes about it, but no detailed information. Beauxbatons books touched on the subject in a little more detail, but Ron found the most detailed information in Ilvermorny's books.
According to these sources, early awakening was a medical condition and could have various effects on wizards or witches. These effects could sometimes be minor, while at other times they could be significant.
It was generally accepted that wizards and witches matured earlier than Muggles, both physically and mentally, due to their magic.
And this maturity was most evident during the time wizards and witches experienced their awakening.
And Ron agreed with this view. If 11-year-old Muggle children were sent to a school far from their families for most of the year, most would likely spend their first year crying at the slightest thing.
And Hogwarts professors would probably be babysitting instead of teaching during the first year.
But even Muggle-borns who hadn't grown up in the wizarding world faced this magical world they were suddenly thrust into with much more maturity than their Muggle peers could.
And this was essentially why Muggle-borns like Hermione couldn't form healthy relationships with their peers before Hogwarts.
Even though they weren't aware of it, the magic they possessed matured them earlier. This made it difficult for them to fit in with their Muggle peers.
And for those who awakened early, the situation could be more serious. While not always the case, there have been instances of sudden character changes in early awakenings.
This was exactly what Ron relied on. He wanted to cover up his character changes and emerging magical abilities in this way. After all, all of his symptoms fit this description perfectly.
If he played his role well, the healer examining him would definitely attribute his symptoms to early awakening.
Soon, Ron saw his father approaching them again.
"I spoke with the welcome witch. A Senior Healer will examine Ron's condition. Come on. The Trainee Healer is waiting to take us to the examination room," his father said after he joined them.
Behind his father, Ron could see a witch in healer's clothes waiting by the welcome witch's desk.
Then Ron, his father, and mother followed the trainee healer to an examination room. After the trainee healer led them inside, she said the senior healer would arrive shortly and then left them alone.
Once alone in the room, his parents chose to stand while Ron went to the examination chair, sat down, and waited.
Before long, the examination room's door opened again, and a middle-aged woman with light brown hair, dressed in healer attire, entered.
"Hello. I'm senior healer Andromeda Tonks. I've been told we're dealing with a rather interesting case. I want to ask you to explain the situation in more detail," said senior healer Tonks.
'Oh. She's Nymphadora Tonks' mother,' thought Ron.
Senior healer Tonks must have thought it would be better to get clearer information from the parents before dealing with Ron, so she addressed them first.
"Hello, senior healer Tonks. I'm Arthur Weasley, and this is my wife, Molly Weasley. The reason we're here..." his father introduced himself to the senior healer Tonks, and then began to explain Ron's condition.
His mother, Molly, occasionally joined the conversation, filling in the gaps left by his father.
The main topics they discussed were Ron's sudden character changes and his ability to cast spells suddenly. They particularly emphasized his ability to cast wandless and nonverbal spells.
Then, senior healer Tonks delved a little deeper into Ron's character changes, trying to get more detailed information about what kind of changes were occurring.
After a while, apparently satisfied with the information he had received, he moved away from the parents and approached Ron, saying, "Hello, young man. First, I'm going to cast a few diagnostic spells on you to ascertain if there's anything wrong with your body. You don't need to worry, okay?"
"Understood, ma'am. My name is Ronald Bilius Weasley. But you can call me Ron. Everyone calls me that." Ron said, with an innocent smile.
"Oh. You're quite a kind child. I wish my daughter were like you," said senior healer Tonks.
Then she cast some spells on Ron, moving her wand across his body from a certain distance.
After a while, she stopped casting spells and stepped back. "You're perfectly healthy. No doubt about it."
Then, after a moment's thought, she asked, "Ron. Your parents said you can cast spells. Do they happen involuntarily, or do they happen when you want them to?"
"When I want them to," Ron said, and then added, "They're not accidental magic."
"Oh? You know about accidental magic?"
"Yes. I read about them in the Hogwarts books."
"Hmm. Did you learn these spells from the Hogwarts books as well?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Can you show me a few of them?"
"Sure, ma'am," said Ron, and then demonstrated some harmless spells—the Wand-Lighting Charm, Softening Charm, Levitation Charm, and Avifors Spell—to senior healer Tonks wandlessly.
He chose harmless spells because he didn't want his parents to worry and later restrict his ability to cast spells.
Senior healer Tonks observed a few spells, then began casting a few more diagnostic spells while Ron continued casting them.
Then she undid the spell again and told Ron he could stop.
"Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, frankly, I don't think you have anything to worry about. Your son is perfectly healthy," said senior healer Tonks.
"As for the changes he's been experiencing lately... Have you ever heard of early magical awakening before?" she asked her parents.
After her mother and father shook their heads, senior healer Tonks began explaining early magical awakening and the symptoms it might cause.
And what she was talking about was exactly the information Ron had acquired; in fact, senior healer Tonks provided information on many historical cases, clearly showing that while Ron's situation was rare, it wasn't unprecedented.
"So, Ron has no problems, and what he's experiencing is normal?" his mother, Molly, asked.
"The intensity of the symptoms that appear in cases of early magical awakening varies from person to person. Serious character maturation cases like Ron's are rare, but not unprecedented," said senior healer Tonks.
Then, turning to look at Ron, she added, "As for his magical power and wandless magic... all I can say is that your son is a gifted genius. The serious character maturation is most likely due to the strength of his awakened magical abilities."
"So, there's nothing extra we need to be aware of?" his father, Arthur, asked.
"Not at the moment. Unless you observe anything harmful in Ron, I don't think it's necessary. But perhaps you could start giving him private lessons or hire a tutor. It would be a shame for his talents to go to waste."
"I understand. Thank you so much for everything, senior healer Tonks. We won't take up any more of your time in that case," his father said.
"You're welcome. And you don't need to pay the examination fee. Ron's case was quite rare, and frankly, I consider myself lucky to have encountered it," she said.
His father looked as if he was about to refuse, but Ron immediately interrupted and said, "Thank you for your generosity, ma'am. When I grow up and earn money, I will make big donations to St. Mungo's."
"Haha, I can't wait to see those days. Ron, you have great talent. Use it to do good things. Okay?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Then Ron and his parents left the examination room and started walking back to the fireplace in the waiting area to return home.
Their floo travel home was no different from their arrival.
When Ron stepped out from the fireplace in their living room after his father, he saw all his siblings sitting and waiting.
Well... that was exactly the Weasleys.
Even though they bickered amongst themselves, when it came to the safety or health of one of their family members, all the Weasleys would be there for each other.
"Why are you all sitting here?" asked his mother after stepping out from the fireplace after them.
"Is Ron alright?" Ginny was the first to speak, probably asking the question on all her siblings' minds.
"You don't need to worry. He's perfectly fine," said their father.
"Have they said anything about Ron's condition?" asked Bill, the eldest brother.
"Early Magical Awakening. Apparently, that's Ron's condition. They said that early character maturation and the early emergence of magical abilities are normal in this case," his mother said.
"But what about him being able to cast spells wandless? That's not normal, is it?" Perce asked.
"Oh. The senior healer said Ron is a genius," his mother said, this time with a big smile on her face.
'I'm a medically diagnosed genius now. I might add "certified genius" to my resume in the future,' Ron thought.
But then his thoughts immediately shifted to his other tasks. Now that his family considered him a genius, he could more easily showcase his abilities.
And this meant he could now slowly put his crafting skills and knowledge into practice.
He even had a game in mind that he was planning to make. A game that was inexpensive to make, simple to build, and quite popular among Muggles.
Jenga.
End of Chapter 13.
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[Author's Note: Chapter release days are currently scheduled for Mondays and Thursdays.]