Keeping the Compassion

Summary-Harry and Ron are on the way to a meeting with the order, and they bond about not understanding women, and keeping compassion. Sort of a prequel to World's on fire, but you don't need to read WOF to understand.

Rating-PG

Harry and I continued to plow our way through the crowds. We were in Diagon Alley, and we were trying to make it through to The Three Broom Sticks where we had rented out an upstairs room for a meeting of the Order.

Of course the room was heavily cloaked, and even the Order members didn't know where the spell had taken them. All they knew is that they were with the people they trusted most and that's all that mattered.

As Harry and I passed a group of stocky men, we heard a man whisper, "There goes the downfall to the wizarding community." I turned and gave the man a sharp look and felt fear pass quickly through him.

"Ron, just ignore it." Harry said from my side. I looked over and saw the defeated look in his green eyes.

"Mate I can't. It's been a year and a half since we graduated from Hogwarts, and we are incredibly close to the battle that will end all battles, and yet people still see you as public enemy number one. I just don't understand."

It was true, we were now eighteen years old and we knew that the battle would be in less than two weeks.

"I don't understand either, but I've learned to block some of it out." Harry said as we squeezed through a pair of people, muttering, "Pardon me."

"To change the subject, how are you and Mione'? If you're going to ask her the big question, you should do it soon." Harry looked over at me and winked. I laughed.

"It's not that bloody easy Harry! This woman is the most complex creature I have ever met, and you and I both know that we've met a lot of creatures, and I can't figure out if she's waiting for me to pop the question, or if she's waiting for the right time to break up with me!" I sighed, and looked at Harry for help.

He laughed and then said, "Ron don't be a fool, you and I both know that Hermione is madly in love with you. Women also aren't as complicated as you make them out to be." I smirked.

I laughed as Harry stumbled over a raised stone on the pathway. Harry glared at me and we continued to walk.

"That's easy for you to say Mate! You're dating my sister, who is still at Hogwarts-.." I stopped there and glared at him, "...-and underage, but I will not dive into that right now. But Ginny is the least complicated girl I know. She tells you what's on her mind and doesn't skate around it like every other bloody female in this world."

"First of all Ron, you and I both know that you wouldn't want Ginny with anyone other than myself," I nodded reluctantly because he was right, I did like them together even if Ginny was 17 and graduating from Hogwarts in May. "..And second of all, your sister may speak her mind, but she is still damn frustrating."

I nodded, agreeing. I then remembered a story about my older brother Fred.

"You know how Fred and Angelina got married in January?" I asked.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Of course I know, we were groom's men at his wedding."

I reached out to swat him, but accidentally knocked a woman on the head. "Sorry! So erm, crowded.." The woman gave me a nasty look and scurried away. We continued to walk as Harry howled with laughter.

"Yeah well anyway, when he asked her to marry him in August, he said that he had to convince her to marry him because he screwed up asking her." I recalled my brother's face as he retold this to me, George, and Ginny.

"And how did he screw up asking Ang? She has the calmest temper I know." Harry responded.

"Except for when someone throws her entire drawer of panties out the window." I added, remembering when Fred threw her panties out the window after seeing Gabe Kriller kiss Angelina, even though Fred and Angelina were broken up.

"Yeah, that wasn't a fun day." Harry replied, and we both cracked up as we pictured Fred's face as Angelina threw an entire month's worth of joke shop stuff out the window.

"Well anyway he said, 'Since we might die in a few months in War, I was wondering if you wanted to marry me?' He walked straight into that, didn't he!" We passed the Quidditch shop and I saw Harry look longingly at the newest broom.

Since we were caught up and saving the world and all, we never had anytime to play our favorite pastime anymore, but it hit Harry harder.

"Ginny told me that story, I remember now. You never ask a lady to marry you as if it's your last resort." Harry said, sounding like an automatic message machine.

"Are you reiterating that from someone? Cause' you sound like a robot or something electronic." I asked as I stuffed my numbing hands into my pockets.

"From Ginny. She gave me a lecture when I said I didn't understand why Fred had allegedly messed up. She went on for hours." Harry got this painful look in his eyes as he recalled the long conversation.

Patting him on the shoulder sympathetically, I said, "I feel your pain mate."

Harry nodded and gulped.

I looked ahead and saw that The Three Broomsticks was no more than 50 feet in front of us.

"When we die, it will be all that boy's fault. He's not capable and from what I hear he's never killed anyone in his life. Why should we trust him?" We both heard a female voice say these words, and I didn't even bother turning around and seeing who it was. It didn't matter.

"I'm so glad you've stopped caring about what they say Harry, I'm not sure if I was in your position I could've." We had reached the door of the pub, and we paused.

"I haven't stopped caring Ron." He said, his voice only a little more than a whisper. He looked down, and then back up and a sadness filled his eyes.

"But back there you told me-."I began.

He interrupted and said, "I told you I blocked some of it out. But I haven't stopped caring. The moment I stop caring, is the moment I lose all compassion. Without compassion I'm just like Voldemort."

At that moment the war completely hit me. People would die: my people. The people that I had spent all or part of my life with might perish. Without compassion, people would become just a number, and I knew that was how Voldemort viewed it.

But Harry didn't view it that way, and that would be our saving grace.

I opened the door, and we both entered.

And I knew that when I asked Hermione to marry me, I wouldn't make It seem like a last resort.

FIND OUT IF RON PROPOSES CORRECTLY IN WORLD'S ON FIRE!

Go read WorldsOnFire, and comment too! I'll maybe write a sequel? Who knows!