Ron's Summer Job (after GoF)

[Rita Winston]

No: HPFGUIDX 7700

When I wrote about Cedric's funeral, Harry and Cho and Percy are 
among the mourners, but the younger Weasleys are not. After weeks of 
wondering why not, I realised that they were busy with their summer 
jobs.

I am a little worried about Fred and George's summer job -- if they 
were making Canary Creams and fake wands for Zonko's Joke Shop in 
Hogmeade and for Gambol and Japes's joke shop in Diagon Alley, they 
could have committed to deadlines that wouldn't allow them to take a 
day off for a funeral, but which the venture capital from Harry, they 
ought to be working on their own business, not as supppliers to other 
shops, and their own business would give them a day off. 

But I KNOW where Ron and Ginny are working. When Charlie got them the 
job, Ron thought it was the best possible summer job, but now he is 
not so sure. The owner of Ron's beloved Chudley Cannons decided to 
cash in on the ever-increasing need for childcare by starting a 
summer Quidditch day camp for primary school children (presumably 
they already run summer Quidditch Camps for secondary school students 
who are serious about Quidditch, but that is quite separate). 

This camp costs more than a regular day camp, which some parents are 
willing to pay to have their children be enthusiastic instead of 
whining and sulking about day camp, and the children are enticed by 
getting to wear Junior Cannons uniforms, and to meet the players and 
coaches and ask for their autographs, and to improve their Quidditch 
abilities. The camp must start with some kind of try-outs, because 
the kids get classes and practises according to their ability level. 
On the mental side, classes are The Rules of Quidditch, Basic 
Strategy, and Intermediate Strategy. 

On the physical side, classes are Basic Broomstick Flying (for kids 
who maybe have never been on a broom before, mostly five and six year 
olds), Intermediate Broomstick Flying, Basic Ball Handling (how to 
throw and catch a Quaffle while standing on the ground with no one 
interfering, hopefully working up to being able to throw a Quaffle 
while on a broomstick by the end of the eight weeks), Intermediate 
Ball Handling (trying to throw and catch the Quaffle while other 
members of the class are trying to block or intercept the Quaffle), 
Basic Budger (using bowling balls), Basic Snitch (using golf balls), 
and penultimately Basic Quidditch - all-kid matches with special weak 
Bludgers and special slow Snitches. Finally, the top level is 
Intermediate Quidditch: that's 11 and 12 year olds who might actually 
get on their House team someday.

Of course, these classes are taught by reserve players and 
deputy assistant junior coaches, while the real players and coaches 
only make cameo appearances.

Ron, now 15, has the job of shepherding eight 10- and 11- year-olds 
who are at the Basic Quidditch level. He has to escort them to all 
their classes, lunch, and naptime, while making sure that they 
don't kill themselves or someone else or destroy too much property.
He gets to wear a Camp Cannons uniform and fly a decent broom with a 
'property of Chudley Cannons' label, but he also gets to wonder 
whether he himself was really such a pain only three years ago.

Ginny, now 14, is working on the kitchen crew, which has to cook, 
serve, and clean up after lunches for all those people. Her opinion 
of the job can be deduced from the fact that she is the anonymous 
author of the song "We Are Fake House Elves" which the kitchen crew 
likes to sing. The best part of the job is that grown-ups and staff 
members (who get to be called Camp Coaches instead of Camp 
Counsellors) come into the kitchen to beg for snacks and flirt with 
the kitchen staff, and some of the Camp Coaches are cute, but Ginny 
does not like being flirted with by fat, old, gray-haired or bald 
wizards (who work in the Cannons's front office). 

What Ron and Ginny both like best about the job is the pay: ten 
Galleons a week each for eight weeks. They'll be going back to 
Hogwarts with money in their pockets. Ron keeps reminding himself 
that that is enough for each of them to buy a decent used Comet 260 
or for both of them to club together to buy a new Comet 260 or a 
decent used Nimbus 2000 or Cleansweep Seven. Or, his mental voice 
reminds him in his own tone of sarcasm, to put a down payment on a 
new Nimbus 2001 or Cleansweep Eight, but they wouldn't be able to 
make even one monthly payment....  I doubt that Ron has even asked 
Ginny whether a racing broomstick is what she wants to do with her 
money.