Ron always felt a little uncomfortable when he was on his own in muggle London. It wasn't as if he didn't like muggles, no on the contrary, it was just that he always worried that he would embarrass himself or, worse, offend someone.
He was fairly certain that eating lunch in the park would be the same the world over, muggle or no. So he tried to chase all the insecurities from his mind as he looked for a nice bench and some sun.
It was as a lovely day, not a rain cloud in sight, and just cool enough for a light jacket. A very welcome relief after such a dreary winter. Winter, never having been his favorite season, was made even worse so by spending this entire winter chasing the dark wizard who was killing the pets of pure bloods.
The wizard knew what he was doing. It was not enough of a crime to bring the whole department in on the case. It was just enough to spread anxiety primarily among the pure bloods. Not to mention the broken hearts of children, and adults to be honest.
He knew he could have solved the case much sooner if he had more time to focus on it. But being pulled off it just about every other day made it impossible to give it the time it needed. The case with full of clues and patterns so it should just be a matter of asking a few people some questions and just plain giving it some thought.
The case pulled at his heart strings. He knew what it was like to lose a pet and, purist or not, no one deserved to have a loving pet killed.
Ron found a bench. However, someone was already sitting on it. He stopped and wondered if it was proper to ask to share. But staring at the person was much worse than simply asking.
"Can share your bench?" he asked. The woman sitting on the bench had bright red hair and reminded him a bit of Tonks. The woman was furiously writing and Ron didn't think she would even notice if he ate his lunch quietly.
The woman looked him over, making him feel slightly awkward.
After an uncomfortable moment she said, "okay," then moved over a bit to give him some room.
He sat down and began unpacking his lunch. He pulled out his banana and laid it on the bench between them.
"If you're going to sit here, you have to put that away."
Confused he asked, "What, my lunch?"
"No just the banana; they make me gag and it was my bench first."
She had a point; it was her bench first and he was going to eat it last anyway. So back in to the bag it went. Instead he pulled out his salad.
He was going to be quiet and let her write. But just then she shut her notebook and put it in her bag.
"Really, I can find another bench, me and my banana that is. I didn't mean to make you stop."
"I was just finishing up," explained the woman.
Ron relaxed and started in on his salad, hoping she didn't notice how it kept replenishing itself.
"I like to watch the people walk their dogs; it clears my mind and helps me write," she said as she looked up.
"You have a dog then?" Ron asked.
"No, but I always wanted one."
"I think dogs are something everyone can relate to. The true great equalizer. Either you would love to have one or you love the one you have."
"I never looked at it that way but I know some cat people."
"Yes, but they would know what it was like to have a pet or want one anyway…That's it!" yelled Ron, earning a strange look not only from the woman sitting next to him but the crowded area around them as well.
"What's it?"
"It's an equalizer. Something we can all agree on, something that can bring us together."
"Yeah, I can see that." Said the women slowly.
They lapsed into natural silence each seemly lost in their own thoughts. The wizard, Ron now realized, was just trying to show that pure bloods and everyone else understood the love of pets and that meant we were all the same. Yeah, it was a very misguided attempt but as soon as Ron could get his theory into the Prophet the wizard would make himself known. It had to be someone who wanted to bring everyone together, but someone stupid and more then a little bit of a bastard, maybe someone harboring a serious grudge. But with the pattern – he killed one a week, every week – meant he wanted to be caught.
Ron relaxed and knew with the Prophet's help… he snorted at the idea of 'the Prophet's help, he never though that the Prophet would be helpful. But he knew that the wizard really wanted a platform. And, most likely, the wizard hadn't wanted it to go on this long, he bet.
Ron relaxed in muggle London and chatted with the woman who'd shared her bench and found more and more common interests. One day the muggle world and the magical world would be able to share the whole world. That would be nice. He would like to get to know this woman better after all.