Last Christmas Gift
It was in Fourth Year that he realized that he had fallen for his best friend. It was also then that his heart broke for the first time.
These two facts were his ultimate secret.
And in Fifth Year, everything went downhill.
One evening, when Harry was lying in bed doing absolutely nothing, Ron came into their dorms and sat down on his own bed, right next to Harry's. His blue eyes were contemplative, and the room stayed silent until the red-haired teenager spoke up.
"Harry?"
"Yeah?"
"I need to tell you something." There was a pregnant pause before he continued. "I'm gay."
"And I have a crush on you." Was Harry's dull response.
"Well, ye– what?"
"I have a crush on you, Ron."
"Oh. Um. Ehehehe…" Ron scratched his head nervously for a second. "So then you won't have a problem with me being gay!" He attempted a short, uncertain laugh.
Harry's expression stayed sullen. "Who is it?"
Ron blushed and looked away uncomfortably, forgetting about Harry's confession just moments before. "Uh. He…err."
"Ron, just tell me who you got together with." At times, Harry wished his best friend and crush wasn't so readable.
"It's Malfoy. I mean, Draco Malfoy." The lanky teen winced and waited for his friend's rant. It never came; instead there was an awfully cold voice.
"Will he choose you over his family?" It wasn't really the family; more like the prejudice.
Ron stared back at Harry before nodding slowly.
"Then it's okay. He would know what to expect if he hurts you."
"Thank you, Harry!" Ron grinned, delighted, and he stood up, preparing to leave. Tilting his head, he asked, "Coming down for dinner, mate?"
Merlin, he was an idiot. "If I miss dinner, I can always go the kitchens." With that reasonable comment, Ron left.
Was it possible to have ones heart broken twice? Because it had certainly felt like it then.
When Sirius died later that year, he nearly jumped after him, but Remus held him back from going through the Veil. Even so, he had considered offing himself in other ways, without Voldemort's help. But he acknowledged that he still had unfinished business, and he most certainly did not want to stick around as a ghost.
After learning of the Horcruxes in Sixth Year, he began to study and train extensively.
Near the end of the First Term, Harry had everything sorted out. There was a quick and efficient way to get rid of Voldemort instantly without wasting his time to search for the remaining Horcruxes. He had also prepared a will, too, considering the circumstances, though no one knew anything about that but the goblins.
It was Christmas Eve when Voldemort appeared in the Forbidden Forest as Harry requested. He had asked for a simple showdown, the last and final one. As soon as the first drop of the Dark Lord's blood met the chilly air of the winter night, Harry began to chant rapidly in Latin. In exchange for the destruction of Voldemort's soul, whole or not, Harry had to sacrifice his own life. It was the equivalent of a Dementor's Kiss for Voldemort, but Harry died and saw his parents again.
No one knew what had happened except for Dumbledore, who Harry had consulted before the task. In the morning, two thirds of the Golden Trio went in search for their missing companion, while the ancient Headmaster sat like a statue, watching with weary eyes as they found the bodies.
Hermione cried for both her best friends, and Draco was uncomfortable but his eyes shown with tears, though for whom it was unclear. Ron cried for the loss of his best friend, and something indescribable.
The Wizarding World mourned, but no one mourned more than Ronald Weasley.
AN: This is one of the most strange story I've ever written. Personally, I don't support either HP/RW or RW/DM, but it worked for this, somehow. This was written in August - I only rediscovered it now. I hoped you liked it! R&R!