Always There

At first everyone cheered. No one seemed to either notice nor care as Harry and Cedric lay motionless on the ground. The band played as if something wondrous happened. Then there was a scream. A blood curdling scream..

That's when people finally noticed. They noticed that there was no movement but Harry's shaking shoulders, and uneven gasps of air.

Ron watched, paralyzed, as Dumbledore pried Harry's hands off of Cedric's broken form, the cup long forgotten. He felt Hermione grab his hand and together they pushed through the stands to get to their now hysterical friend. They could hear his cries of pain, sorrow, despair, and utter disbelief reverberating around the stadium. Then he was gone. Ron's first instinct was to panic. Where had his best friend gone now?!? Hermione must have heard his thoughts because she mouthed to him,

" Moody took him away, he's safe."

Ron let out a sigh of relief..

"How could this happen to him?" Ron said sadly.

" He just never gets a break does he?" came Hermione's reply.

"We should wait in the hospital wing" said Ron.

" C'mon. Let's find your mom and Charlie and go up" she said quietly.

***

As they waited in the infirmary, Madam Pomfery bustled around trying to make everything more comforting.

'She must have fluffed those pillows five time already' ron thought to himself silently.

Just as they starting asking where harry was again, the doors opened. There stood Dumbledore, Harry, and a dog that could only be Sirius.

To Ron, Harry looked even worse now then he did when he first got back. His leg was healed but the cut on his arm still oozed blood, he was deathly pale, and he had dark circles under his eyes. He pretty much looked dead on his feet. Ron was so absorbed by his friends appearance that he didn't notice when everyone had gathered around Harry's bed.

When Harry got into bed, all Ron could do was stare. He wished their was something he could say to his obviously scarred friend, but there didn't seem to be anything in the English language that could comfort him right now. So he just stared. Next thing he new, Harry was drinking from a goblet and settling down for a hopefully long nights sleep.

***

It wasn't even an hour later when the yelling began.

"They're gonna wake him if they don't shut up." Ron said angrily.

He wanted his friend to be treated with respect.

Everyone either sat or stood, stunned that Fudge wouldn't believe that Vol..... You- Know- Who was back.. But then Harry spoke up. His voice weak and laced with guilt and sorrow that only Ron seemed to pick up on.

When Fudge left, so did Sirius. Sirius needed to stay with Harry but he couldn't. Ron could tell that Harry was scared about the idea about being in this state without his godfather, but he didn't want to show it.

It was when Ron's mum started talking about the winnings that Harry almost broke. Ron couldn't remember ever seeing Harry cry or almost cry ever. He always seemed so strong. But now as he lay in Ron's mum's arms, Ron could clearly see Harry's pain for the first time. His face distorted to try to pry back the tears that were aching to be shed. He ever made a sound though. Through any of it. Just then Herminone's hand made a loud smacking noise against the sill to grab something and Harry and Mrs. Weasley broke apart. Harry took the last of his potion and was out before anybody could help him into a sleeping position.

It was then that Ron made a pact to himself to always be there for Harry no matter what happened. He would be there through it all.