⚜ EVENING, 25TH JULY, 1990, THE GOJO ESTATE ⚜
IF JASMINE HAD to list the things she didn't like about Ronald and Ginevra Weasley, she could end up with a whole thesis.
Ron Weasley was a prat, plain and simple. Arrogant, loud-mouthed, and worst of all, envious. His constant complaints about life's unfairness dripped with resentment, as though success was always due to luck or favoritism, never effort or talent.
Jasmine often overheard his snide remarks about wealthier children, his jealousy glaringly obvious in every muttered insult and narrowed glare. It wasn't that Jasmine lacked sympathy for the Weasleys' struggles, either.
She knew growing up with limited resources was hard. But character mattered more than circumstance, and Ron's character left much to be desired. Unlike his brothers, who handled life with grace, confidence, or humor, Ron wallowed in resentment.
What made it worse was that the Potters had quietly supported the Weasleys for years — offering connections, opportunities, and resources without seeking recognition. Lily, especially, had been generous to Molly, despite their differences.
Yet instead of gratitude, Ron seemed to regard their kindness as a reminder of his perceived inadequacies. Jasmine had little patience for that attitude. Everyone had struggles, but pure unadulterated idle jealousy? That was something she couldn't respect.
His brothers, at least, seemed to be doing their best. Bill and Charlie were already in their adulthood, forging respectable careers, while Percy and the twins — still at Hogwarts — had clear goals and a sense of direction.
Percy was driven by ambition and discipline, and though pompous at times, he worked hard to carve out a path for himself. The twins, on the other hand, turned life into a joke but were surprisingly sharp, already planning for their future business ventures.
Unlike Ronald, his brothers weren't content to merely complain or sulk — they acted, each striving to improve their lives in their own way. They proved that their family's hardships, while challenging, weren't insurmountable.
Ronald, then, should have realized that while his circumstances might not be entirely within his control, the least he could do was face them with some grace, instead of stewing in bitterness and dragging others down with his relentless negativity.
Then there was the current youngest Weasley — Ginevra Weasley. Another person that Jasmine would rather avoid.
Unlike her brothers, who at least had a semblance of individuality, Ginny seemed to exist in a perpetual state of imitation. She tried to emulate her older siblings, especially the twins and Bill, but ended up coming across as someone constantly struggling to find her place.
Jasmine couldn't fully blame her for that — being the youngest in a large family couldn't have been easy. In fact, Jasmine may have even been willing to help the girl out of that shell of hers if it hadn't been for one thing: Ginevra's self-entitlement.
She carried herself as though the world owed her something simply for being the youngest, the only girl after a line of brothers. The youngest child syndrome, combined with the pressure to stand out, often manifested as an air of unwarranted self-importance.
Ginevra seemed to think that just because she was the youngest and only girl in her family, she universally deserved special treatment, as though that alone made her interesting or deserving of admiration.
That attitude rubbed Jasmine the wrong way. It wasn't overt — Ginny didn't stomp around demanding attention — but it was there in the way she spoke, the way she inserted herself into conversations as if her opinions held more weight than anyone else's
It didn't help that her mother, Molly, constantly reinforced that perception, doting on Ginny in ways that she didn't with her sons. Molly's favoritism wasn't particularly subtle, and Jasmine had no doubt that it had fueled Ginny's inflated sense of self.
Furthermore, Ginevra's personality leaned toward the overly intense. She had a habit of latching onto things — or people — with an almost obsessive energy, and it often felt like she was trying too hard to prove herself.
Whether it was joining in conversations where she wasn't wanted, parroting opinions that didn't seem to be her own, or trying to impress others with exaggerated tales, Ginevra often gave off an air of forced confidence that bordered on aggressive.
This was especially the case when the girl came close the Potter sisters, especially Rose.
Many times, Jasmine found herself having to sacrifice her own sanity to save her younger sister from awkward situations involving the Weasley girl. Rose would definitely repay the kindness, and had recently got better at saving herself, but it was still rather irritating.
The girl was so stuck up her own arse that she immediately took any attempts by Jasmine to correct her behaviour as condescension and jealousy — like, what the actual hell was the girl thinking!
The result was a girl who Jasmine didn't enjoy being around her for long periods of time.
She'd seen flashes of potential in Ginny — there were sparks here and there, buried beneath the layers of insecurity and entitlement — but until the girl learned some humility, Jasmine wasn't particularly interested in digging deeper.
Molly Weasley wasn't exactly doing her family any favours either, though. Her overbearing nature, though possibly well-intentioned, had an unfortunate tendency to alienate others rather than endear them.
Whether it was her unsolicited advice, thinly veiled critiques, or her propensity to meddle in matters that didn't concern her, Molly's approach often left people feeling more exhausted than supported.
Tonight, she seemed especially keyed up as she spoke. Unfortunately, her approach often lacked the finesse necessary for a setting like this, where diplomacy and subtlety were as vital as breathing.
Lily had perfected the art of polite deflection, nodding and smiling just enough to avoid offense while gently guiding the conversation toward a natural conclusion. James, for his part, managed to keep things light, though Jasmine could see the subtle flickers of strain in his eyes.
"Do you think she ever notices how often people excuse themselves when she starts talking?" Ivy murmured, leaning closer to Jasmine with a dry, amused tone.
"Not a chance," Jasmine whispered back. "That level of obliviousness is practically a superpower."
Rose chuckled softly, though her gaze remained alert as she scanned the room for potential escape routes.
In any case, all these swirling thoughts were just Jasmine's way of distracting herself from the current predicament — a tactic she often employed when forced to endure situations she'd rather avoid.
Then came what felt like a deus ex machina:
"Lady Augusta of the Longbottom Line!"
"Lord Lucius of the Malfoy Line!"
"Lord Arcturus of the Black Line!"
"Lady Margaret of the Sayre Line!"
Jasmine nearly felt like she could break out in dance. Finally, a well-timed intervention.
"Molly, sorry to cut you off, but we need to go welcome more guests," Lily said smoothly, interrupting Molly mid-tirade with the perfect blend of politeness and finality. "How about you allow us take care of other things first? We'll catch up once things are calmer."
Before Molly could get a word in edgewise, the Potters had already given polite goodbyes and gracefully disappeared into the sea of guests.
"Oh, dear," Ivy whispered with a soft exhale. "I swear I was about to pass out."
"That really was a lot to go through," Rose concurred, sounding equally relieved.
Jasmine remained silent, her thoughts already shifting as she scanned the crowd with mounting anticipation, her eyes darting from face to face as she looked out for Ashley.
As they moved further away from Molly's orbit, the oppressive weight of that earlier encounter slowly began to lift. Jasmine felt like she could breathe properly again, though her shoulders still carried the tension of having had to endure one of the longest five-minute conversations in recent memory.
"Do you think she'll remember to let it drop?" Ivy asked with a wry tone, though her expression was still tense.
"I doubt it," Rose muttered. "We just kicked that can down the road. It's Molly."
Jasmine sighed. "Let's just hope that by the time she corners us again, we'll have enough backup to deflect her… or at least, more patience than we do right now."
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Author here. 🥸
I never particularly liked the way Ron, Ginny and Molly acted in the original Harry Potter books. 🤔
Now, no hate to the books — I loved them to death — but I felt like Ron was obviously a self-absorbed prat and Ginny was kinda allowed to get away with some strange things as far relationships went. 🤔
In the first books, she was a nice person, but later on… nah. Like, didn't she have multiple boyfriends that she just dropped out of nowhere? I also felt like she was kinda entitled to some extent in the later books, especially in the Deathly Hallows. 🤔
She was pretty all over the place with her relationships in the books, then just out of nowhere starts gunning for Harry hard. Anyway, no hate to the original character, I just personally found her sus — don't hate me for it. 🤔
As for Molly, I just found her kinda annoying sometimes. She showed a lot of favouritism towards Ginny, Ron, and Percy, and absolutely bashed on Fred and George, especially in the movies. 🤔
Also, she micromanaged her kids' lives a lot, to the point that it was problematic in some cases. Anyway, these are just my personal thoughts on the characters, so think what you will. 🤷♂️
Ciao! 👍