Just another little song-fic. Hope you enjoy and please review :) Lyrics are italics.
If Today Was Your Last Day – Nickelback.
My best friend gave me the best advice
He said each day's a gift and not a given right
Leave no stone unturned, leave your fears behind
And try to take the path less travelled by
That first step you take is the longest stride
Ron smiled as he walked down a long Hogwart's corridor, he hummed one of his favourite songs; it was such a truthful song and held such meaning for him; it was like they had written it knowing his future.
He had been sitting next to Hermione when he had made a remark about not caring about school or his life, she had said "each day is a gift, Ronald, and not a right" before she had carried on working, but he had ignored it completely. But now, he knew her words were wise and held so much truth.
And he remembered when he and Harry had had to go into the forbidden forest and into where the spiders had all lived. Harry had told him to forget about his fears and the spiders and help save Hermione and the others, which he had done and he had helped.
If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last
Leave old pictures in the past?
Donate every dime you had, if today was your last day?
What if, what if, if today was your last day?
He finally reached his dorm room and laughed when Dean hit Seamus around the head with a pillow; it was just another normal day for them.
Ron kept on smiling as he pulled out a book from underneath his bed. A photo album. This had all of his favourite and funniest memories in it; he loved it. He flicked through the photos; a first year Hermione telling off a confused seventh year; Draco as a ferret being put down Crabbe's or Goyle's trousers (he had never managed to tell which one was which); his oldest three brothers and him standing together before Charlie had left for Romania; Hagrid and him with a baby Norbert; Lavender, Padma, Pavarti and him standing together smiling before the Yule ball; and him and his dorm mates standing together smiling. But those were memories, just memories; his mother had always told him to not hold on to memories and today, for once, he would take his mother's advice.
He walked over to the main dorm window, opened it and started to rip them out and throw them out; some of them landed on confused students, who looked at the photo and laughed before waving at a smiling Ron but others flew further and landed on the lake before sinking down into the watery depths below. He had said goodbye to yesterday and all of the memories that when with it.
Against the grain should be a way of life
What's worth the price is always worth the fight
Every second counts 'cause there's no second try
So live like you're never living twice
Don't take the free ride in your own life
Ron smiled as he lay back on his bed and thought about how he had never really tried hard in school or, more importantly, in life. He had always took the easiest route for him and had only really tried hard when one of his friends had made him, which was usually Hermione or Harry; they never gave up on him, they knew he always had more to give. And being friends with Harry, he had learnt that you only really ever had once chance at something and that if you got it wrong, that could be the end of you. Now, he wished he had tried harder in everything.
If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past?
Donate every dime you had?
Ron got up as his stomach rumbled, signalling for dinner time, like it always did.
'Ron,' Hermione popped her head around the dorm door and walked over to him, 'could you please give some money to my elf program? It will-.'
'Enough said 'Mione,' she looked shocked but interested as Ron delved into his trunk. He pulled a bag of coins. It contained all the money he had, and Hermione knew that. She just thought he would give her one coin, but to her surprise he didn't.
'Have it all,' he smiled.
'What? Ron, why! That's all you have'
'I'm not gonna need it anymore.' He answered, making her more confused. She placed the bag in one of her large robe pockets and followed him to the Great Hall.
And would you call those friends you never see?
Reminisce old memories?
Would you forgive your enemies?
And would you find that one you're dreaming of?
Swear up and down to God above
That you'd finally fall in love if today was your last day?
Hermione still had a look of confusion as they walked into the Great Hall together. It was packed, but their friends had, like always, saved those seats.
'I'll be over in a minute, 'Mione. Save me a place next to you.' Hermione was about to question him, before she thought better of it; he was being funny today and she doubted he would tell her or anyone.
She sat and looked over to where the rest of the table was looking; Slytherin. Ron was walking down Slytherin and as he past Slytherins they became quiet, so soon the whole hall was quiet. All of them wondering why Ronald Weasley was near Slytherin.
'Hello Draco,' he said smiling. Draco turned around and gave him a cold look.
'What are you doing over here Weasel-bee? Go back to your loser table.'
'I will, in a minute. I just wanted to say something,'
'Get on with it then,'
'I just wanted to say sorry for all the nasty and hurtful things I have ever said to you, your friends,' Ron looked at Crabbe and Goyle, 'and to your house.' He looked down the table and at Professor Snape; he gave them a sorry look. 'They were not nice and your house isn't any worse than my own and I'm sorry for speaking wrongly. I hope you can forgive me.'
Draco had never looked so confused in his life. Ronald Weasley was giving him and Slytherin a sincere apology.
'Erm, yeah I forgive you, and err I'm sorry too?' He said still confused, thinking that saying sorry back was the apparate thing to do.
'Thank you Draco, that puts my mind to rest. I hope you and everyone in Slytherin gets on well at Hogwarts and has a nice life ahead of them.'
Now, that confused the hall even more. Ron was in year five; he had another two years at Hogwarts; why didn't he just do it in private and at the end of school in two years? Why now?
If today was your last day
Would you make your mark by mending a broken heart?
You know it's never too late to shoot for the stars
Regardless of who you are
'You can be whatever you want to be, you know. Anything. If you want it, get it. Trust me, something can and will suddenly come up and will stop you from doing what you want to. So take every chance you have in life, no matter where, when or why it is. Just do it,' announced Ron, he seemed to be now talking to everyone.
'Oh and may I just say, Lavender you like Seamus and Seamus likes you, so please do us all a favour and get together,' Lavender blushed at Seamus, who looked surprised and happy, 'and Pavarti likes Dean and Dean liked Pavarti,' Dean smiled at her and she smiled back. Why was Ron saying these things now and in front of everyone? 'And, if you ever love someone tell them, no matter whom they or you are, it may hurt if they say no, but how do you know that they will?'
Why was Ron being so wise now?
So do whatever it takes
'Cause you can't rewind a moment in this life
Let nothing stand in your way
'Cause the hands of time are never on your side
'Why Ron?' Spoke up one of the twins.
'Yeah, Ron why now? Why are you saying this all now?'
'Because time is never on your side and you can't ever rewind time or what you do, someone will always remember,' he smirked at Hermione; she smiled back thinking of the time-turners.
Ron started to walk back over to his table and smiled as he walked; he wished he had known all of these things before; they would have changed a lot. He would have joined another house instead of just agreeing to go to Gryffindor; he would have never let his fears of spiders or of anything stop him; it would have paid more attention in class; taken more attention to Scabbers and would have probably realised that he wasn't just a normal rat; he would have danced with Padma at the Yule ball; he would have asked Hermione to the ball instead; and he would have never said nasty things to Draco or Slytherin, no matter what they said about him or to his face. There were so many things he knew now he could have done differently, done better, but they couldn't be changed not now, not ever.
If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past?
Donate every dime you had?
'No really Ron, what is wrong with you?'
'"Wrong"? There is nothing wrong with me, in the sense that you're thinking, Harry... Let's just say I found out about something and it has changed the way I think about everything and everyone. I just now know I should have done mostly everything different.' He said, still smiling.
Ron sat in between Harry and Hermione; he needed to be with his friends now.
'What? You have given me all of your money,' the twins gasped and so did some others, who were still listening in.
'You threw all of your photos away and out of the dorm window. And we all know how much you love those photos,' said Seamus, retelling the event he had seen earlier.
'I just have to say goodbye to those days and I'm just trying to make myself a better person,'
'Have you hit your head Ronnie?' Said Fred, in a mocking tone; Ron just smiled and shook his head.
And would you call those friends you never see?
Reminisce old memories?
Would you forgive your enemies?
And would you find that one you're dreaming of
Swear up and down to God above
That you'd finally fall in love if today was your last day?
'Ah there it is. That's what I was waiting for,'
An beautiful eagle had swooped in and landed next to Ron.
'Wait that's Percy's owl. Why is that pompous prat owling you?'
'Because I owled him and usually you owl back.'
'Yep, Fred, he had definitely hit his head.'
'Do you really want to know what is wrong with me?' Said Ron as he reached the Great Hall doors with Percy's letter in his hands.
'Yes.' Came the answer from everyone in the hall, even the teachers were curious.
'I'm dying. And today is my last day alive.'