A Room With a View
Ron pulled the truck in behind the shed and proceeded to the kitchen for leftovers. He yelled up the stairs that he was home and grabbed a couple of plates from the stove. He placed them on the table with a couple of forks along with mugs of butter beer. "They're still warm Harry, come eat." Ron dug into his food without another moments notice, barely noticing if Harry sat down or not. Harry looked back at his things in the truck and looked up at the sky to make sure it wasn't going to rain. He released Hedwig from his cage and rushed to the table.
Mrs. Weasley came downstairs with Ginny a few minutes later. They hugged Harry and apologized for not coming directly down. "Harry, you'll be sleeping in Percy's room on the second floor. We've set everything up for you in there. I've already flown your things into the room along with Hedwig's cage." She kissed him on the forehead and took Ginny upstairs to finish the preparations.
"Thanks, Ron. If wasn't for your family I wouldn't know what a real home feels like. You're so lucky."
Ron looked around at his humble dwelling, pushed his right foot against a squeaky board and watched the dishes wash themselves. He'd been looking at the same walls, floors, and rooms all his life and he wanted a change of scenery more than anything. Ron didn't have a clue about what he wanted to do with his life but he was sure he wanted to travel. "Sure Harry anytime." He replied.
After eating they talked about quidditch and practicing tomorrow for a few hours. Harry didn't want to talk about Lord Voldemort, La Tundra, or even schoolwork. He just wanted to have a peaceful, normal day with his best friend. He craved a normal existence where he didn't have to think about all the evil in the world that wanted him dead—a world with living parents and schoolmates that aren't murdered. At least he could put it from his mind for a few hours.
He walked up to Percy's old room and found the wall covered with pictures of Ron, Hermione, and himself—pictures of them over the years. He watched the smiling faces, especially Ron's. Ron had grown so tall over the years. His face was thinning in his cheeks and he was wearing his hair slightly longer with every approaching year. Harry had picked up on this odd occurrence in all the pictures of Ron and Hermione. Every so often Ron would glance down at Hermione, blush and look away. If Hermione wasn't in the picture then the photo Ron would look around the room until he found a picture of her. To test the theory he turned all the pictures of Hermione around facing the wall, to see what would happen. All the Ron's in the room started to look depressed. This is just a flute. Ron and Hermione are just friends. They aren't interested in each other that way. Maybe, Ron is interested but Hermione isn't. Why haven't I noticed this before? I'm a self absorbed idiot, that's why. What should I say to him? Maybe it's better if I don't say anything at all. Now, every well almost everything makes sense to me now. Harry turned all of Hermione's pictures back around and watched Rons' expression—they were all happy again. Love was one subject that Harry didn't understand, so how could he advise anyone in such matters. Harry put on his night clothes and decided to sleep on it.
Harry woke up the next morning to the sound of clanging dishes, Ron working on his truck, and Ginny singing in the shower. He rolled out of bed and look out of his window. The garden was alive with color. He didn't know the names of the flowers but he knew he'd never seen anything so beautiful. Harry opened the windows to allow the slight breeze inside the room. The scent of flowers saturated the room and so did the hope for a good, normal year at school.
As Harry was taking his shower he realized that he hadn't dreamt of La Tundra. In a way he missed her haunting face. She was his company through the lonely summer. It was strange to him how the dreams made him feel so enraged and empty but La Tundra face made those feelings disappear. Harry sat down at Percy's desk and started to draw another picture of La Tundra but it wasn't a scene from a nightmare—if felt more like a memory. He envisioned her running, disappearing and reappearing around. She would playfully push him and yell "You're It" and then disappear again. Harry thought to himself "I won't always be it Tawny" Tawny was that here nickname? Does she really exist? He continued drawing the picture of La Tundra running with her braids in her face, laughing, taunting—but taunting who—me? In the future or in someone else's past.
"Breakfast's ready everybody come in or down here." Mrs. Weasley's said. "Ronald wash your hands. Ginny please set the table. Sweetie, please seat down to eat don't rush off without eating." Mrs. Weasley served everyone breakfast and sat down smiling. "I think I'm starting to have empty nest syndrome. I only have two eggs left in the nest." Ron and Ginny had already heard this song before so they quickly stuff food in their mouths and started chewing. Harry listened intensively as Mr. Weasley conversed with Ron's the workmanship of his automobile. What puzzled Harry was no one talked about any news from the Ministry of Magic or news from the Daily Prophet. It made Harry happy, suspicious but happy. Harry was so used to being not being trusted and angry that he was emotionally drained and couldn't take another year of hurting his friends and having no one in his corner. He ignored his suspensions and had a wonderful week with the Weasley family.
