Epiphany
Epiphany e·piph·a·ny (ĭ-pĭf'ə-nē) n. a moment of sudden revelation or insight. A sudden manifestation of the essence or meaning of something. A comprehension or perception of reality by means of a sudden intuitive realization.
"I experienced an epiphany, a spiritual flash that would change the way I viewed myself" (Frank Maier).
"No!" said Ron. "What we're doing will benefit everyone in the end, it's all about trying to get rid of You-Know-Who –"
"Then let us help!" said Neville angrily, "We want to be a part of it."
(Deathly Hallows, 468).
Out of the corner of his eye Ron saw Harry turn his head to the portrait of Ariana in the wall. Years of following – and trusting – Harry's instinct made Ron turn his head too. What he saw hit him in the gut with twice the bruising force of an Unforgivable Curse. Ginny was climbing out of the hole, followed by Fred, George, and Lee Jordan; all four were smiling beatifically. It was more Ginny's appearance then the men who came after her that surprised Ron. Ginny could be a handful, but he would've thought that the twins at least could keep her safe and away from the action. Ginny's smile was the most effulgent of all. He realized that she was smiling, not at him or Hermione, but at Harry. Ron studied Harry's face to gauge his reaction; he'd never seen Harry frown so hard. Ginny, however, seemed oblivious to the fact that her ex-boyfriend (Ron scowled at the thought) was clearly unhappy to see her. Satisfied, Ron turned away to talk to Hermione.
"I won't!" Ginny yelled, wrenching her arm out of her mother's tight grip.
Ron sighed as he watched the argument between Ginny and their parents. What the twins were thinking – bringing Ginny with them – he had no idea, but it sure couldn't have been anything sane.
Of course Ginny was a fighter in her own right – Ron, for one, didn't ever want to end up on the business end of her wand – but still, she was underage. And Ron was sure that he wasn't the only one wishing Ginny was locked up in a tower, safe and away from this mess.
He looked towards Harry, who was watching the debacle with an apprehensive face. Ron too was waiting for the moment when Ginny would turn to her ex-boyfriend for support. Her angry tears threatening to spill over, Ginny turned to Harry, stopping in her explanation of why she couldn't leave her family behind. Silently, she pleaded with him to support her. Ron watched Harry's face for any hints to the emotional struggle raging in his mind. Only because Ron knew Harry so well did he realize that Harry believed in Ginny's ability to hold her own against the enemy, but for her safety (and his peace of mind) Harry would not back her against her parents' decision to send her home. Squarely looking into Ginny's eyes, Harry shook his head a little to the side. Ginny turned away bitterly, drawing the same conclusion that Ron had.
(Ron wasn't the only one in the Room closely watching the brief exchange between Harry and Ginny…)
Ron hurtled into the Room of Requirement after Harry and Hermione, almost tripping over a divan. Mrs. Longbottom (Neville's grandmother), Tonks, and Ginny were sitting on one of the couches the Room had provided. Upon their arrival, Mrs. Longbottom immediately left to find Neville; Tonks left soon afterward to fight alongside Remus.
Ron turned to Harry, wondering how they were going to get the diadem while Ginny was inside the Room. He could see Harry battling with himself; then he took a step towards Ginny, running his hand through his hair in agitation. After a second's silence Harry said, "Ginny, I'm sorry, but we need you to leave too. Just for a bit. Then you can come back in."
Ginny, of course, looked absolutely thrilled at the prospect of leaving her place of refuge. She jumped up from the couch, flashed them all a brilliant smile, and ran up the steps to the door of the Room. Realising too late what he had done, Harry desperately shouted after her, "And then you can come back in! You've got to come back in!"
Ron only had seconds to ponder Harry's protective behavior. He was sure that this was a major point in his analysis of the Harry/Ginny romance, but he'd just said something that made Hermione extremely happy and his mind was too busy processing the feel of her lips on his to take in anything else.
After a highly embarrassing talk with Harry about "holding it in" they exited the Room of Requirement into the corridor. The condition of the castle had deteriorated plenty in the time they were in the Room. Chunks of the ceiling fell around them and as they ducked, Ron lost track of where Hermione was, panicking for a second as a result. She was behind a statue that almost crumbled on top of her. Ron pulled her out from underneath the statue as Aberforth ran through the hallway praising Ginny as she jinxed a Death Eater through the window.
"Good girl!" Aberforth yelled.
Harry turned to watch Ginny hex another Death Eater on the grounds. Ron watched a myriad of emotions flit across his face. Beneath the fear for her safety and the determination on his face, Ron detected a trace of pride as Harry watched Ginny run down the hallway and down the stairs to join the fight outside.
And in that second when Harry watched Ginny with pride, Ron had an epiphany.
Oneshot.
This is one of those fics that have just been gathering dust in my mind. So, since I've got nothing pressing to do I decided to put it into words. And this was the result. I finished it in about 2 hours. It's not the best thing I've done, but I hope I've got Ron's feelings right and captured the essence of the thing.
The rest of my summer will be spent tanning in Australia and watching the Olympics in Beijing, so please don't expect anything from me. If I do manage a chapter or two of either EA or PME, consider yourselves lucky. I shall, however, try my best to get at least the Godric's Hollow chapter for EA finished and posted.
A great big thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter of EA. Keep reading and reviewing and enjoy your summer.
Love,
Qtip.