Ron helped Harry carry his trunk to their bedroom without a word. He was shocked, Harry was taller than the last time, though it had only been two weeks. But he was pale as a gost, and Ron could tell he was shocked and pained at arriving to Sirius' family home. Ron felt bothered and suddenly sleepy, he couldn't help but yawn, and suddenlly the air felt warmer. He managed to open his eyes after yawning and saw Harry similing at him.
"I've just arrived and I'm already boring your pants off. What did you say about a redecoration? I don't see much change here." He looked around trying to find some diference. "Wait, the paintings, it's just the old crow's left!".
Ron didn't say anything, just looked at his friend trying to pull into his face all his anger for the painting coming back. And just as always Harry read his mind. He went very serious and still. After a moment he suddenly sprang to life and catched the portrait with just one hand, riping the cord that held it to its nail in the process, and threw it outside the room viciously without minding where it fell. Slammed the door closed and sat on the floor with his back to the door and his head on his hands.
Ron felt sick. There Harry Potter stood again: watched and prisioner in his own place. He couldn't help it, just on instinct he sat beside his friend and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. The scars in his arm gave an inconfortable twich, but Ron didn't want to leave Harry, so he breathed deeply and tried to control the pain. Gradualy it subdued and he was able to breath normally again.
They remained like that for a while. Just in silence one beside the other. Suddenly something broke inside Ron and all the sorrow and grief for Sirius that he had kept botled inside himself in behalf of Harry overcome him and he wept. It felt like a strange relief but he turned his face so Harry couldn't see him.
Ten minutes passed like that. Ron stopped crying and felt better, tired, sleepy but better. Just then he noticed Harry had change his position. He looked around and saw that the other boy was looking at him with a strange expression. He had tear stains down his cheecks, but he had some color back on them and his eyes were clearer than before. Suddenly Ron felt embarrased and tried to withdraw his arm from around Harry's shoulders. But Harry grabed his hand to prevent him from moving.
"No, it's OK. Guess we both needed it… Thanks mate." Harry looked at him reasuringly and smiled. A warm feeling washed over Ron making him feel slightly more cherfull. Some of that must had shown on his face because Harry kept staring at him with a questioning expression on his face.
But just when he had opened his mouth to make his question someone knocked at their door silencing both of them. Knock, knock again. Sighting the two boys dried their faces in theis sleeves and stood facing the door. Breathing deeply they looked at each other and Ron gave a nod to Harry signaling he was ready to open the door.
Opening it so they were blocking any unwelcomed entrance to the bedroom they faced Dumbledore, Moody, Mundungus, Shackelbox, Tonks and Lupin standing on the landing. The headmaster had the ofending portrait in his hand, and he was not smiling. He was backed by the rest but for Lupin, who stood several steps behind perched on the staircase banister. Ron felt a wave of sickness overcoming him and he felt suddenly nauseated.
"Mr Potter, Mr Weasley. I'm aware that you don't fully apreciate old Fineas as a cheerful decoration for your bedroom, but it's rude to toss aside such and old painting from its place. Please take it back were it belong"
Harry looked at the professor thoughtfully and suddenly, and taking Ron completely out of guard, said: "Sure Professor, you can put Professor Nigelius protrait again inside this room." Ron looked at him absolutely bewildered till something flicked inside his head when Harry turned to look at him. "I'm sure that now that Buckbeack has been taken to Romania there is no problem in us taking that room for ourselves Ron. I think a saw another huge bed in the attic that we could take there so we both fit. OK?"
"Mmmm, the bed in the attic is biger and I'm biger than you, it's mine. Come on, if we hurry up we can be instaled before dinner time. Mind you, I haven't clean that room yet, we will have to spend all of tomorrow making it fit, but we can stand it for tonight. Don't you think?"
Ron could almost fell the shock in Dumbledore when both of them turned and started packing Ron things in his trunk (Harry's had not been touched yet). But the shock lasted just an instant to be replace by anger.
"You are not moving out of this room Harry"
Harry stood very slowly and faced the old headmaster. Ron almost could see the currents of power surrounding the two wizards. He moved closer to Harry without thinking, to back him.
"I'm not allowing it into my bedroom Professor." Dumbledore opened his mouth but Harry stoped him. Ron could see him shaking with anger. Mind you, he was angry himself. "I'm concious of the necessity of a link between this house and your quarters, but you have not any need of having a spy on my bed habits. The closest that painting is going to be to me is the landing. I've taken enough."
"Harry-"
"No"
The aire became dense, heavy. Ron felt the air taken away from his lungs. He was going to faint. Dumbledore and Harry kept staring into each others eyes. He was witnesing some kind of duel. A duel between two powerfull wills.
"I'm not joking professor. You know you can not retain me here. The spying on the fucking Boy-who-lived has ended. You end this very moment or your weapon is gone."
Everybody looked fearfull. Surprising everyone Lupin talked:
"He is right Albus. He is too old for that babysitting. The best place for the painting is this landing. It can watch almost the hole house whereabouts from there and if you have any message it can be heard more easily."
Ron was now feeling really sick, but he almost could hear how everybody could see the rightness of Lupin's statement. But Dumbledore kept staring at Harry who, by the way, was really fritening at the moment. He didn't look at all like the kind boy Ron knew he was. Feeling somehow he was losing his friend, Ron steped closer and placed a hand in his shoulder. Some kind of warm power, "Gold" thought Ron, creept through his fingers. But Harry didn't move. In fact he looked tougher than before. Dumbledore took one step ahead menacingly and Harry's frown deepend. Then Dumbledore lifted the painting as to make it to the wall and Ron felt a sudden jerk in his lungs. A blast of light and the portrait flew from the headmaster hands to the landing wall where Ron had hang it first time.
Dumbledore breathed deeply and looked suddenly older, defeated.
"All right" he wispered. And headed downstairs.
All the others looked fearful. They remained still till Lupin said:
"Don't worry Harry. That was wandless magic and there is no way the ministry is going to register it in this hiding place." He turned to Ron who was feeling worn out at the moment. "I'll fix dinner Ron, it's my turn".
Without a word Harry closed the door. Ron walked to his bed and sat on the edge. He was tired, very tired. He was going to have a masive headace. When Harry didn't make a move he lift his gaze to him. Harry was staring at him again.
"Wha…?"
"How did you do that?"
"Did what?"
"The painting, I was just willing that to happen and suddenly you did something, I felt it."
"I didn't do anything, it was you. By the way, it was cool."
"I…" Harry stopped. But he kept staring at him oddly. Ron fidgeted under the intense green gaze.
"Stop staring, have I got something on my nose?"
Harry snaped awake and shook his head.
"Lets get installed" And proceeded to get his things in place.
"Come on Ginny, tell me again. How come the painting flew?"
"Argg! Hermione if you ask that again I swear I'll rip out your eyes off. I've told you everything Bill told me Tonks told him. The portrait flew and now it's permanetly attached to the landing wall. Nobody knows how has that happened".
The two girls sat on the swing outside the burrow. Hermione had arrived the nigth before and had ask for a complete report of "her boys" whereabouts from Ginny. So far she had learned that Ron and Harry seemed OK, that both had their homeworks finished (amazing); that, apparently, there were no more nightmares since they got together and that they were both eating fine and filling their time painting the hole house in clear colors.
"Bill says that Lupin says that they seem to sleep the hole night through. That they both have put on weight an that they spent at least two hours after dinner studing a book on Oclumency that YOU sent Harry. Honestly Hermione have you got not enough with OWLs? Mind you, you are crazy still studing in summer. Don't look at me like that, it's your fault, you have transfigured those two into mad bookworns."
Hermione pouted. But she was not angry, she was somehow proud of her friends, and relieved that they were not at the Burrow. That could look unsensitive, but she had been afraid of meeting them again. She herself had her own nightmares about the DoM, and didn't feel herself capable of handing Ron's and Harry's distress. And also she felt kind of akward when she thought of seeing Ron again, she had found herself daydreaming a lot about him lately. Also she was glad that Ron had taken care of Harry's depression this summer. And she was facing at least two boy-free weeks with her best friend!. That was really a nice novelty.
Meanwhile at Grimmauld place Ron and Harry had finished painting the staircase white and had proceeded to Lupin's bedroom, tosing him to another gest-room. It wasn't big deal, full moon was near and Lupin needed a big room for his transformation. He had been increasingly peeky as the moon aproached, that was normal, but Ron being in the same state was not normal, so Harry noticed.
Ron had been odd, that was the word, and Harry thought he knew why, but he would just wait till Remus transformation for sure. Meanwhile they painted Lupin's, the room the twis used to ocupy, Mr and Mrs Weasley's and had started removing the girls furniture to the landing to start painting the bedroom light-pink.
"You know Ron, we may paint the furniture too, it's so old that I'n not sure we would be making much just with walls" Ron grunted in response. The full moon was thet night. "Just wait till we paint the entrance, Mrs Black portrait is going to freak out." Grunt again.
And so it went the hole day. At night Tonks helped Lupin seal his door and stayed guard on the nearest bedroom. It all seemed to be going alright, but Harry noticed that Ron seemed in pain the hole night. Till, at three o'clock, the mooned dawned and Ron feel asleep. Harry remained awake thinking.
At breakfast Harry decided he needed no more proofs. The moment Lupin apeared at the door Ron bolted from his chair and started making him drown down al kinds of restorative draughts that Harry did no know he coul distinguish fron one another before. Lupin didn't noticed though, sure he thought it was just Molly's engraving in her son's mind, he was just gratefull. Enough, there was an Order meeting that night, the only time Harry was sure none was eavesdropping. He was going to talk to Ron that very night.
When all the order members were inside the kitchen (ravaging the sandwiches that had taken them two hours to fix that afternoon). Harry shoved Ron to the tiny back yard. There it was sure that none could hear them.
"What the hell is wrong with you Harry, what happens?"
"Oh, Ron, nothing new. I've just find out something very important about you I think you better know before anyone else realizes."
"…."Ron looked at him as if he had gone nutters.
"OK, I'm serious about this, and pretty sure, by the way. Please Ron, I'm not making fun of you, this is important, really. You have to trust me."
"OK, now I'm really scared. What happens?"
"Ron, I have realized that you…well, You are a Healer Ron."
After a long silence during wich Ron's expression said Translate? He finally said.
"Harry, mate, you've lost it. I'm your classmate, I've just made my OWLs"
"No you wanker. I mean an empath, a born Healer. A powerfull wizard born with the ability to sense auras and heal mind and body." Harry looked into his friends eyes, wich were cobalt with bewilderment.
"What the hell are you talking about, Those are really rare, and where have you hear about them, WHEN have you heard about them? You've gone nuts!…"
"No, just, Ron, please, listen to me: This is dangerous. When a Healer comes in the open everybody wants to take advatage on him (or her). Specially in the middle of a war. A known Healer has never make it very far, they always died young. They and their families, you have to keep this secret from everyone. EVERYONE, I mean it Ron. Keep it low…".
"Have you gone mad, I know that, everybody knows that!. But I'm not…how have you, Where have you?.."
"OK mate. Please this is a secret.."
"I've got that already. I swear I wont tell anybody you have gone mad" cutted Ron sarcasticly.
"Promise you are going to keep in secret all I'll tell you ?"
"I promise"
"I have realized what you are because my mother was a Healer too"
When Ron didn't make a move Harry added:
"Please don't tell anybody. I've manage to keep this secret from Dumbledore and I want this to remain like that. My aunt made me clean the basement in Privet Drive and I found a box with some of my parents things…muggle books and photos. You know how the Dursleys are, they never thought of giving that to me. I do not want the Order to get their noses in this either. They were my parents, my business alone." Pleaded Harry. Ron was shocked, but he couldn't help but understand. He nodded Harry to carry on.
"I found a silly girl's book that belonged to my mum. It was so very worn out. I sneaked it to my room so nobody, no even the fucking Dumbledore's guard noticed. I just wanted something from my mum to myself and myself only." Harry sat on the ground and motioned Ron to sit as well. "Eventually I found out that it was my mum's diary. The story of how I found out is too long. I found out anyway. For all I've heard my mum was brilliant at charms and she had bewiched that book to serve as a concealed diary. It has written all about the last two years of my mum's life. Her life and her work. Believe me, it is a small book from outside, but from the inside it's huge." Harry stared at Ron, he was listening and, aparently, believing him.
"She describes how she found out she was a Healer, and makes a complete report of how Healers come to discover and develope their powers. Believe me, beside her Hermione is just an amateur in researching. She describes how there are more born Healers than it seems. It's just that it is dangerous so the majority of them just keep it quiet. Most of them study healing and make excellent regular healers. And she keeps on, I can show you the diary if you want. I'm positive Ron, I've been observing you since before we left from school, you are one, really".
And five years later Ron still could remember just how quick and right Harry had been that summer. He was sure the green eyed boy had saved his life again by noticing so soon. Since then Ron had manage to develope his healing powers to their maximun. He had also been able to fall in love with the healing work thanks in great measure to the freedom the secrecy that Harry had achieve him had given him. His family had been so far safe and he had found, as Harry had assure him, many more Helares working with him in St Mungos. His boss to start with.