Chapter 32
Bill Weasley sat quietly in the comfortable chair; the wizarding business magazine opened on his lap hadn't seen a new page in over two hours. He hadn't even glanced at the article the page rested on, much to the annoyance of the picture. The impeccably groomed and pale features of Draco Malfoy glared in annoyance at Bill as the skilled curse breaker ignored him. If the image could yell it would no doubt be cussing at his lack of attention, intelligence, lineage and so on, but thankfully the editors for this magazine realized how much some business hotshots enjoyed the spotlight, and a mute had been placed on all images.
He stared at the empty seats across from him, where his twin brothers had sat only minutes before. It was their turn to sit by Ron. The entire family and some select friends were taking watch in turn because Ron was draining them of their energy at a pace that had them falling asleep within half an hour. Bill had left Ron's bedside two hours before and had walked down the stairs to collapse in the very seat he still slouched in. His thoughts, however, were still up in the horribly painted orange room where three of his brothers currently sat.
He could picture George and Fred talking continuously, trying to drive a reaction out of their still sibling. They would no doubt be going on and on about all the crazy and fun things Ron had missed in the last two years, but Bill knew that most of the stories would be fabricated. His little twin brothers hadn't been in much of a joking mood. There were some instances when they would pull a prank, have a good laugh, make everyone feel better, but it had always been a far cry from their normal behaviour. Their shop, which was still doing well enough to stay open, hadn't seen any new tricks or treats in over thirteen months. That was a record for the twins, seeing as they had started creating their pranks at around one year of age.
It was no doubt that in about ten minutes they would begin to feel too tired to talk and they would simply sit their and hold their brothers hands. This had been going on for two days now, and each member of the family had created their own little routines for when they sat with Ron. At first the idea that they couldn't all stay and watch him at the same time had caused a few tempers to flare. Everyone had missed him, and everyone needed to see him to convince themselves that he was truly back among them, in a manner of speaking. It was Dad that had stepped in and calmed them all, making them understand that Ron needed them just as much as they needed him, if not more. A list had been created so everyone would know what time they could sit with him and because of that brilliant piece of paper there hadn't been a problem yet.
The only person who was completely unaffected by his little brothers need to recover was Harry, who had barely left the room since Ron had been moved there directly from Hogwarts. Madame Pomfrey, who had been very stern in her instructions to Harry and Bill as she had knelt over Ron's unconscious form, had determined that sending him to St. Mungo's was a poor idea. There were several reasons for this, and Bill agreed with each one of them.
To send Ron to the magical hospital might be detrimental to the health of other recovering patients, seeing as he was pulling energy from all his surroundings. In the privacy of the Burrow, which was extremely crowded at the moment, Ron would be closer to nature and friends and family. The positive energy he could siphon would be much healthier for him.
The Burrow was also shielded against apparating and had wards that detected any unwanted visitors before they stepped into the yard. Dumbledore himself had come over and placed a very strong detection spell that could even distinguish if an animgus was present. That, Bill had instantly known, had been a precaution against journalists such as Rita Skeeter, who had absolutely no respect of privacy when it came to a big story. This led to the most important reason for Ron being at home instead of at the very public healing centre: so far no one had come knocking on their door to ask about their part in the attack at Hogwarts, and that was how they planned to keep it.
They had all felt, even in the beginning when his brother had fled in fear, that the wizarding world had no need to know of his new abilities. To make such a fact public would make Ron's life very difficult. Bill was under no illusions, he knew that there were power hungry Wizards out there of the likes of Giles McTagert who would do everything they could to get their hands on Ron. There was also the fact that Ron would be instantly famous, but not necessarily in a good way. The stigma associated with being a chaneller would have left the wizarding world up in arms. Public opinion (Not that they really had a right to one as far as Bill was concerned; they knew nothing of what had happened to his brother and they would only cause him more pain) would shift back and forth between hate, fear, acceptance, curiosity and indifference.
Many people would demand that Ron was locked up, away from society, just in case he decided to turn evil as many of his predecessors had. Others would demand that he use his gift to benefit all of mankind in ways that nobody yet understood. Scholars and scientific professions would want to learn everything they could about him. His privacy would be non-existent, the ministry would be forever suspicious of him, the public would swoon and scream, people would point at him in the streets or run away…it was no way to live. They would not subject Ron to this fate, he would be free to choose his own. He had suffered enough!
Bill's hands clenched tightly and he was drawn back to his surroundings as the magazine tore half way down the middle. Draco Malfoy ran from his picture. He closed the pages and set it aside before he did any more damage; Percy hated it when his things were wrecked…they all did in fact.
He heard his mum and Ginny bustling about in the kitchen, preparing a heavy lunch seeing as everyone needed all the strength they could get. Literally. His dad was at the ministry, doing important 'ministry' work. In fact he was keeping an eye on Fudge, who was no doubt acting slightly out of sorts since the entire attack. It would appear the minister had been quite shaken by the threat on his life and he was eternally grateful that Dumbledore and the other professors had managed to save his life, along with those of all the students and visiting dignitaries. Of course there was also the chance that Fudge was acting out of sorts because of the memory modification he had been subjected to.
It had been Lupin and Snape who went down to the dungeons to release their students from the fear of attack. Bill didn't know the whole story, seeing as Snape had only grinned with a creepy glint in his eye when asked what had happened, and Lupin had stuck to the most basic details. What Bill understood was that after all the ministers and students had left the dungeons Cornelius Fudge had been suddenly energized as he understood what had happened.
"That boy stopped a Balista!" He had cried in glee. "Merlin, the strength he must have! I knew he was powerful, but I had no idea the extent of his skill!" He had then stopped speaking abruptly, realizing that the two professors were looking at him in uncontained fury. "Well, never mind. I suppose it's not that big of a deal." He had hurriedly tried to disguise his excitement. Needless to say that Lupin had decided that Fudge needed to forget that Ron Weasley was anything other then an ordinary wizard trying to make his way in the world. Snape had apparently agreed. Between a memory potion (that Snape had had in his pocket for some suspicious reason) and some tricky little charms, Fudge had forgotten all about Bill's little brother. His dad was making sure that the charms were holding in place. As long as nothing was disturbed within a three-day trial period they could be certain Fudge would never, not even under Snape's most powerful truth serum, be able to speak of Ron being a chaneller.
Mum had sent the largest box of her best homemade cookies and tarts to the potions master (not receiving any note of thanks) and had pretty much ordered Lupin to come over for dinner for the rest of his life. It was on that first night, after they had finally determined that Ron just needed a lot of rest and the chaos caused by the battle had quieted down, that Lupin had sat around the expanded family dining table and explained to the family as well as Dumbledore and McGonagall, what had happened with him and Ron in the last months.
Bill still wasn't sure of what to think of the story. He knew Lupin had done the right thing by not abandoning Ron to tell his family he was okay, but the thought that they could have known months ago that Ron was still alive, that he was okay, made him a bit antsy. He looked up as the kitchen door opened and Professor McGonagall stepped into the living room, a cup of tea balanced in one hand and a plate stacked high with cookies in another. He took the plate from her and carefully placed it on the table, not taking one of the treats. His mum tended to bake when she was worried, and if he had to eat any more of her goodies he would be sick.
"Thank you." The prim and proper professor smiled lightly at him and took a seat on the green couch opposite. She placed the cup down after a sip and then removed her pointed hat to reveal her hair in its normal, efficient, tight bun. He leaned forward slightly as he watched her. "I suppose you would like an update?" She stated more then asked.
"If you wouldn't mind Professor. I haven't had any news except the rubbish in the prophet." She had once, two years before, given him permission to address her by her name, seeing as they were no longer teacher/student. He hadn't been able to, some old habits didn't die he supposed, but as a compromise he had turned the title into more of a nickname.
"Your brother should be home in a few more hours." She stated, referring to Charlie. He hadn't wanted to leave the Burrow, but he had been given the charge of locating and disposing of every single dragon that had been involved in the attack. It wasn't a difficult task; seeing as every one of the dragons had fallen dead to the ground the moment Ron had dispersed the evil Balista's energy into the well-cushioned grounds around Hogwarts. They hadn't been chased far from the school by Harry's patronus and had therefore not harmed anyone in their sudden demise (except for several areas of forest, which now suffered from broken trees). Nevertheless it was Charlie, who knew more then the rest of the division about the situation, whom had been called upon to dispose of the bodies properly and with the respect that the creatures disserved. Never had so many magnificent and proud animals come to such a disastrous end.
"Hagrid," she continued, "is in his glory taking care of that dragon that Lupin said was Ron's friend."
"I take it he's feeling much better then."
"They couldn't keep him in the healers care any longer then it took to have him walking again. He's limping an awful lot and moving very slowly, but he'll be fine." Hagrid had been injured badly from the battle. He had stood ground at the front doors of the school and fended off several of the deadly beasts with his massive crossbow, a special net (that had been hidden immediately after the battle seeing as it was an item not generally accepted outside of certain professions), and his fists. He had nearly lost his leg, his beard had been half singed off and he was now slightly deaf in his left ear, but he was in high spirits. Good ol' Hagrid, it took more then a few raging dragons to knock him down.
"The students haven't stopped talking about the attack and there are several who believe that the stranger who visited our school was Ronald."
"Of course they would, who else would Harry defy Dumbledore for when Hermione was blatantly present." Bill grinned, not worried about the hearsay.
"The ministry is keeping a fairly tight lip on the details, as they do with anything important, and for once I'm glad that that's the case. Madame Hooch will be released from St. Mungo's tomorrow morning and professor Flitwick will be released in another week." Well, that was all he was really interested in knowing and he leaned back in his seat, nodding to himself in thought. They spent the next ten minutes in comfortable silence (ignoring the banging pots in the next room) until the twins trudged heavily down he stairs and just sprawled out across the floor, taking up the entire space. McGonagall merely stepped over them as she headed up to her old students bedroom to take her watch. Bill suspected that she even sang to his brother, but as of yet nobody had been able to prove it and Harry wasn't saying a word.
OOOOO
Harry was uncomfortable, really uncomfortable. But he just couldn't find the energy to move to his cot. He could picture the magically enhanced softness of the bed lying only a few feet from him; he could envision the pillows and warm blankets. The problem was that getting there required him to open his eyes, and then he would have to actually move. So instead he remained half slouched where he had been dozing: in the chair that sat beside Ron's bed. His chin was resting on his chest and he just knew that if he moved the stiffness in his neck would be unbearable, so it was better to hold off on aggravating the pain.
He decided that it must be well past midnight, seeing as not even the ghoul in the attic was creating a stir. Behind his closed eyes he could see a faint shifting of shadows, which meant that Molly and Arthur (who were always the last to leave Ron's bedside and the first to get to it in the morning) had left one or two candles burning in case Harry needed them to get back to his own bed. He breathed deeply, comforted by their care. Next to Harry they spent the most time in Ron's room, using their parental authority to its fullest, but as a result they were also the most knackered by the end of the day, and it had been a few long days.
Harry himself was utterly exhausted, but it had nothing to do with Ron unknowingly using his energy to heal, because Ron hadn't used a gram of his energy yet. If anything Harry thought Ron occasionally tried to give him a boost, unaware of his actions in his unconscious state. No, Harry was exhausted because he had hardly slept. If he could think clearly he would realize that Ron had been in the burrow three days now, which meant that Harry hadn't rested properly in almost four. He'd dozed occasionally, like he had been just moments before, but those naps rarely lasted longer then an hour. But now it was past midnight, he was sure of it, and his body ached like it had after the battle with Voldemort, maybe even more so.
The burns on his legs had been healed days before, but they were still a little pink and it was likely that the hair wouldn't grow back in certain patches. As it were he didn't remember much about how the healers had finally managed to heal him. When Ron had finally been able to release Richard Yorkshire's energies (watching his friend writhe in pain had been as difficult as seeing Voldemort looming over him all those years before) Harry remembered grabbing onto him like a lifeline, certain that that was what Ron had needed. Ron had apparently agreed, because the second he realized that Harry was actually there, with him, he had closed his fists around Harry's dress robes and refused to let go. It had been five hours before his long pale fingers had released Harry, and only then because Harry had finally allowed Pomfrey to zap Ron with a body-numbing spell.
Needless to say that after two years of wondering where his friend was, why he had left them all so rashly, doing his best to find him while training to be an auror, and finally getting him back only to learn that Ron had somehow decided he was responsible for Harry's death…Harry wasn't about to leave his side again. This time nobody could convince him to take a break; mind they had a lot of trouble convincing themselves to take a break as well. Ron was Harry's family, his best mate, his confident, and his rock. He had missed him to the point that it had hurt. Now that he was back he was going to make sure that Ron knew all those things.
After a few minutes of sitting in the chair with his head bent awkwardly forward his clouded mind realized that something felt different. He felt like he was being watched. He opened his eyes, blinking furiously to focus them before realizing that he didn't have his glasses on. However, not being able to see clearly didn't mean he was blind, and the first thing he noticed in his sudden alertness, was that Ron was awake, and staring at him.
"Ron?" He blinked again, wishing he could see his friend properly, because it was all too possible that he was imagining that his eyes were open. There was no response so he turned and looked at the small bedside table, spotting the fuzzy outline of his neatly folded glasses. He grabbed for them, barely missing knocking over the half melted candle that burned so brightly. He set his glasses upon his nose with years of practiced ease and looked back at Ron. He was right, Ron was awake, sitting up, and staring at him out of watery blue eyes.
"Ron?" He leaned closer to his friend, reaching out to touch his arm. "Ron, are you all right?" He kept his voice low and hid the nervousness he suddenly felt. Ron blinked at him and then his brow furrowed in a frown.
"'Arry?" Ron closed his mouth, swallowed and then tried speaking again, sounding more confident this time. "Harry? Is that really you?"
"Yes Ron, it's me."
"Yer…not quite as dead as I thought you were." As he said this his eyes watered a bit more but he blinked the moisture back defiantly, trying to hold onto his emotions. Harry swallowed as he thought of how he would feel if he thought he'd killed Ron, and he found that he couldn't really comprehend what a shock this must be to him.
"Far from it." He squeezed Ron's arm to emphasise his point and was worried to feel the flesh beneath his hand trembling.
"But…that day in Hogsmeade…you fell right after that Death Eater. You fell just like him, your eyes went white and, and then Fudge said that…" Ron blinked, no doubt trying to remember his conversation with the minister, and his face began to turn red as he remembered something that Harry couldn't follow. Ron started to shake his head negatively. "No, but…then McTagert, he showed me a clipping from the Daily Prophet and it was covering your funeral!" Harry clenched his teeth in an attempt to hold onto his temper, as he understood what Ron was saying. Ron had asked Fudge about him, and Fudge had somehow mislead him to believe Harry had died, then that bastard McTagert must have played up on Ron's belief in order to help control him. That coupled with Ron's own lack of belief in his self had convinced him of his 'crime.'
"They tricked you Ron, they tricked you! I'm not dead, you didn't kill me, and you saved me, again. This is getting to be a habit, though I can't say it's a bad one." He tried to lighten the mood but Ron wasn't going to forgive himself so easily.
"But I saw you fall, I felt your energy inside me!"
"You took just a little energy Ron, you couldn't help it. Dumbledore said that when you stopped that Death Eater from killing me the force of all that energy passing by me was too much of a shock for my system. I passed out for a short while, no more, but you didn't wake up until the next day! None of us were there when you woke up because we went to the quidditch match, remember?"
"But McGonagall was chasing me and she looked absolutely furious. I swear she was going to cast an unforgivable!" Harry remembered how outraged she had been, but it had been because she knew Fudge had said something to make Ron panic.
"Ron, if they were all that angry would they have really let you get better in the school's hospice? If they thought you were a danger would they let you anywhere near the students?" He tried to reason. Ron stared at him a moment as realization seemed to bloom in his mind, and then he abruptly looked away from Harry.
"I'm such an idiot." He muttered softly, darkly. "An absolute butter-brain."
"No, you were confused." Ron glared even harder at the blankets that were pooled around his waist. "Ron, listen to me." Harry ordered, but his friend still had his stubborn temper after these two years away and didn't even turn his head slightly. "Ron! There was so much going on in your mind that of course you were going to convince yourself of the worst possible scenarios! You already thought that we would all hate and abandon you the moment we knew you were a chaneller. You were terrified, I realize that now, and when you woke up nobody was there for you, anyone would draw the conclusions you came to." Ron nodded weakly at Harry's protests but Harry had the distinct impression that the action was only to appease him, and not because Ron believed what he was saying. He sighed.
Looking over Ron he once again noted all the changes in his friend. His face wasn't as soft as it had once been; the skin had the keen look of someone who spent a lot of time outdoors. His cheeks had sunken in slightly, he had bags under his eyes, he was pale and he was skinnier then Harry remembered. This was a problem because Ron had been too skinny to begin with, despite the unnatural amount of food he used to consume at school. His arm was still trembling under Harry's hand, the bangle that had caused so much irritation long gone. Ron had suffered with it for so long, and all he had needed to do was ask somebody else to remove it for him. They sat in silence for a long time, Harry sensing that Ron needed the time to think, to understand exactly what was going on. When his trembling suddenly increased Harry moved right up beside him, no longer caring for the distance they remained at as worry for Ron overcame his sense of personal space.
"What? Ron, tell me what's wrong."
"Harry, you're alive," He said, as though that explained everything. Harry nodded in agreement but remained silent, waiting for Ron to continue. It didn't take long.
"You're alive, this whole time. I should have known; I should have figured it out! I couldn't feel you permanently inside me like I feel that Death Eater, I couldn't feel you like those cats, or like the Dragon Lord. They sit, in here" he thumped his chest roughly, "but you didn't and I never realized it. I thought you were dead all this time."
"Ron, it's okay, I'm here and I don't plan on leaving. It doesn't matter that you didn't realize it."
"But I never cried for you Harry!" He suddenly gushed out in a voice filled with shame, anger, disbelief, guilt…he blinked hard and stared at his hands, which were now tightly clenched in his hands as he spoke. "I never grieved. What kind of person kills someone who means so much to them, and doesn't shed more then one bloody tear?"
"Of course you didn't Ron, because you knew I wasn't dead."
"I thought about it day and night Harry! I got even less sleep then normal, I was damned sure you were dead." He shook his head in disgust at himself.
"No Ron, if you truly believed it then you would have grieved. You convinced yourself, but you didn't believe it enough. You kept the hope."
"I did not." He insisted stubbornly, and sniffed in a childlike way that was completely out of form for him.
"You did." That seemed to be all the emotions Ron could handle as the first hot tears began to stream down his cheeks and he struggled to not let his anguish get out of control. Harry sat on the bed and held him as he lost that struggle and huge heaping sobs broke the stillness of the room. Harry wasn't sure what it was that Ron cried for, whether it was for his supposed death, believing his family hated him, living through the torture that McTagert put him through, the pain of stealing all the lives that remained partly nestled within him, haunting him; maybe Ron cried for the loneliness he'd felt for so long, for the struggle of survival in the wilderness, for believing he would spend the rest of his life alone. Maybe he cried for all the dragon's that had so pointlessly died that horrible night, for the lives lost in the battle against Voldemort, for the pain his own family had suffered over these years. There was no specific that Harry could think of to create such sorrow within his once happy friend, but he determined that Ron's tears was a mixture of it all. He'd never shown how afraid he was before, and now he was finally letting it all out.
Clutching each other they sat there for an hour as Ron's sobs drifted to sniffles but he didn't let go of Harry, not wanting to release him just in case he wasn't really there. Harry felt the presence of Ron's parents outside the door shortly after his red haired friend had broken down, but they hadn't come in or announced their presence. Once Ron had calmed they had silently headed back to their room, sensing his need to be only with Harry. Too much was going on within their younger son as he came to grips with this new stage in life, he didn't need any more burdens that moment. They would see him when the sun rose.
The next morning they found Ron and their adopted son Harry sprawled across the expanse of the bed, Ron's hand clutched tightly around Harry's pyjama sleeve and Harry barley managing to stay on the mattress. They kept the family out of the room so the two could get some real rest, and it was well past lunch when the entire family was finally reunited once again.
OOOOO
Epilogue
Ron remained at the Burrow for a few months as he reacquainted himself with his family and with being around so many people once again. There were times when he snapped at them for being too close, for sneaking up on him unintentionally, or for mothering him when he was so used to depending on only himself. His family understood this, even though they knew little of what he had truly been through. Ron didn't speak a lot about what had happened to him, trying in his own way to protect them from his pain. The only person he truly confided in was Harry.
At first Ron's temper had been very short, he had felt uneasy, he acted as though he was unsure of their intentions, as though he expected his family and friends to suddenly turn on him at any moment. It took a while for them to all settle down, and for his family to adapt to some of the drastic changes in his personality. They were patient though, and with the help of Lupin they learned how to understand some of his reactions and curb their own behaviour towards him. He had become more awkward with physical contact, so they only hugged and pet him in small doses (after a year he would become comfortable enough to reach out to people as he had in his youth, but it always takes time to heal from trauma such as he suffered from).
He had travelled to Hagrid's every other day to help with Forge's healing. The half giant had taken quite a liking to the bright orange and brown creature, and Forge didn't seem to mind all the extra attention and easy food. The brave dragon had been injured as he had flown down to aid a group of redheads that he had confused as Ron; the fight had resulted in a broken wing and some serious abrasions. When Lupin heard that he had been injured he had taken Hagrid to Ron (as he slept at the Burrow) and had pointed at the red and black whip protectively encircled around Ron's still swollen arm. Hagrid had touched it in interest, and the whip, understanding that it was needed elsewhere, moved to take up a new residence with the giant. Over time they grew fond of each other and the whip helped Hagrid to calm Forge and take care of him. In the end Ron didn't ask for it back, seeing as Hagrid was so happy with it. When Forge was healed Ron accompanied him back to Romania and left his friend with fond tears in his eyes and a promise to visit. If Forge ever needed Ron, he should just come to the Burrow…quietly, and at night.
His brothers had swarmed around him as though he was the honey maker of the hive. He'd never received such undivided attention as they asked him question after question about living in Romania. They refrained from asking their morbid questions about his time with McTagert (hoping that if he spoke about it he would be able to heal from it) after Ron had abruptly apparated to the field behind their house to escape answering them. Bill and the twins had been the worst, and it had taken some talking to convince them that Ron didn't blame them for trying to force him to talk all those years before. In actuality Ron barely remembered the confrontation that had never taken place, but he understood that his brothers would have latched onto those memories of guilt, even if he felt they were justly undeserved.
Ginny, Ron had been extremely proud to learn, had been accepted as an apprentice to Andre Van Heldhof, one of the worlds leading experts on possession and exorcism's. It made sense to him, seeing as Ginny had once been a victim of such a horrible encounter, that she would become rather obsessed in helping other people who were suffering the same fate. She was fanatic about it actually, and she took every chance she could to explain what she had learned in the four months she had been in training. She was big on possessive prevention, which was a difficult concept for such a career, but someone had to try it he supposed. The two years he had missed her she had grown into a beautiful young woman, and when he'd first laid eyes on her standing among his brothers around his bed, he'd been stunned. His little sister wasn't so little anymore.
As for Cornelius Fudge, he was disbarred as the Minister of Magic only weeks after Ron's return. It had been a fair election, conducted under the strict eye of election officials (there was rumour that the previous election had been tampered with, suggesting that Fudge had won unfairly, though there was no evidence). There had been a cry out for Dumbledore to step up to the position, but the old wizard had merely smiled with a twinkle in his eyes and stated that Hogwarts is where he would remain. In the end a middle aged, retired curse breaker was elected as the new minister. In her spare time she enjoys collecting professional quidditch players cast off brooms, goblin crosswords, and reading as many reports from all departments within the ministry as humanely possible. Hermione was heard to go off on tangents about how this new minister would change things for the better, and then she would rant about all the change to be desired.
Hermione Granger had fought brilliantly against the dragons, as Fred and George were heard to brag about. She had suffered only minor injuries but had to return home to her muggle parents when they discovered how close she had (again) come to certain peril. Her father had been particularly coddling over the next few days, not allowing her to leave his sight for longer then half an hour at a time. When news reached her that Ron had finally awoken she had apologized to her parents, ordered them not to worry about her, hastily packed a large bag and went to stay with the Weasley's. Ron had seen her cry only twice during the course of their friendship. Once had been in their first year when he had horribly commented on her having no friends, and the second time had been during the battle against Voldemort, when she had been forced to stand aside and watch her two best friends face off against almost certain death.
When she had seen Ron, really seen him, for the first time in so long she had broken down and sobbed into his shoulder for an entire minute before composing herself. Ron hadn't known what to say and Harry had been little help as he stood off to the side and simply watched with a sad smile on his face. Later he would tell Ron about how she blamed herself for not figuring Ron was a chaneller sooner and helping him. After she had composed herself there was no need for Ron to really say anything as she launched into admonishments about him not telling her he was a chaneller, for running away and leaving her to take care of Harry, about her job at the ministry, about his family's own accomplishments, etc. A week later when she returned to the ministry her coworkers were startled as they found they didn't fully recognize her. She was less testy, she suddenly smiled more and, for the first time since they had met her, she really started to relish her work. If they thought she had been excellent at her job before, they found that her new zeal made her five times more clever, creative and energetic. Her boyfriend, Victor Krum, was thrilled to see her truly happy.
Somehow, after her visit to the Burrow had ended, she had managed to convince Ron to let her study his chaneller abilities, to record what he could do and try and learn, for the first time in wizarding history, exactly what a chaneller was capable of. Seeing as his skills were to be kept a secret from all those except a select group of people, Ron had no issues with Hermione being the one to study him so to speak. She was in her element and, really, anything that helped him understand what he was could only be a bonus. If someone was going to be a leading expert on Chaneller's then he would rather it be his Hermione.
As for Ron and Harry it was no question that their lives would continue to be as exciting as they ever were, despite their attempts at being normal wizards. Harry had rebuilt his parent's home while Ron had been away and had been living there alone for about half a year. It was quickly decided, when Ron finally became extremely aggravated at being surrounded by so many people at the Burrow and needing his own independence once again, that he would take the spare room in Harry's house for as long as he needed it.
The arrangement was perfect as far as both young men were concerned: Harry could now keep an eye on his best friend and Ron could be reminded as often as necessary that Harry wasn't dead. In the end it allowed both men time to heal and allowed them to provide the support each other needed. Ron taught Harry how to use his sixth sense to its fullest potential; Harry taught Ron how to cook things that didn't come out of a can. They both woke each other from their nightmares.
Only a week after Ron's return to the wizarding world he and his father made a trip to Ollivander's Wand Shop. He hadn't allowed himself to dream of having a wand again, and stepping into the dim, musty shop had brought tears to his eyes a moment as his father had grasped his shoulders in support. Beachwood and unicorn hair. Ten and a half inches. A sturdy wand with grounding properties and a whippy nature. Ollivander had appeared quite proud to have finally found someone to be accepted by the wand, but he hadn't said much more then that. The wand itself felt very comfortable in his hands, despite the fact that aesthetically it looked very roughly hewn, as though its creator had simply found a stick and hastily shaved off large chunks to bring it to its slightly bent final stages.
However, Ron's return to the wizarding world hadn't been completely full of happiness. Unfortunately, as it is with every war, there were casualties from his fight against the Dragon Lord. In a moment of true courage and with a loyalty that fairies rarely bestow, Hornblend and Howlite had sacrificed their lives for his own. When he woke up every morning he felt their sacrifice keenly, missing their playful (if sometimes aggravating) antics with a strength he wouldn't have associated with his tiny friends. Their connection had apparently run deeper within him then he had thought.
As it were, their sacrifice was the reason he was still alive and in his right mind. When he had pulled the dark Balista's energies from him they had somehow latched onto Ron's own bright energy within him. He knew that to leech such vile energies and accept them within himself could leave him permanently attached to their powers, much like he had stolen Tonks's hair colour changing capabilities, or like Harry had received his own sixth sense. When Ron had been at the forest edge with Harry he had found that he couldn't release the darkness from within him, even after Harry had removed the excruciating bangle from his wrist. In the end the two fairies had somehow forced him to take their own energies, and in doing so they had attacked the darkness and chased it from him. He remained sensitive to the presence of other dark energies, but he contained none within himself, only the lightness his two saviours had given him.
They still managed to make their presence known, however, as his eyes would occasionally turn a golden red and shine as thought on fire when his temper got the better of him. Dumbledore said that without their light, the darkness of Richard Yorkshire would have eventually consumed him, either driving him into a dangerous and volatile insanity, or to death. Every night Ron would thank them, and every morning he could feel their kind replies within himself.
It also turned out, much to Ron's apparent surprise, that he had done exceptionally well on his NEWTS. Almost as good as Percy in fact, even though Snape had left a threatening message stating: by the skin of your teeth beside the tiny N for his potions grade. It was Kingsly Shaklebolt who, after a dinner at the Burrow one evening, convinced Ron to try as an auror. Ron had always wanted to be one when he was younger, but after everything he had forgotten that he still needed to choose a career. He and Harry actually found it quite amusing that, after everything they had already accomplished, they still needed to get a job. Ron hadn't wanted to rush into it though, despite the fact that he knew he needed a career that would keep him busy and that would help people.
Kingsly had, however, dropped a few well placed comments that had convinced Ron (rather quickly) that being an auror might be exactly what he wanted to do. Of course with Kingsly being aware that Ron was a chaneller (he was one of the few outside the family that was trusted with this information) he could help Ron to…write a plausible report should he ever be required to use his skills in the field. As well, seeing as Ron could skip the basic fitness and defence training required by all new auror's, he could move quickly through the instruction and be placed with a partner in just over six months. The fact that Harry was still looking for a partner and that Ron had become a bit paranoid about his best mates safety made becoming an auror seem like the perfect solution.
Quickly the two young men learned how to work together with the same fluidity that their friendship had blossomed into over the years. It didn't surprise anyone who knew them well that they could become such an efficient team. Despite their rashness of youth, their boldness, and their disregard for certain politics it quickly became apparent that they would be two of the best auror's the ministry had ever produced. Their thirst for helping people as well as their undeniable strengths as wizards made them a force to be reckoned with. If they ever needed any help they would always turn to their third, unofficial, partner, Hermione Granger, who was often seen consulting them in the busy halls of the ministry.
Once they had both become official auror's and partners within the ministry a request that the team be given four days off every full moon was granted and then placed out of sight and mind at the back of the largest, most unorganized filing system the ministry had to offer (Hermione cringed as she helped Shaklebolt file the papers). It was during these few nights a month that Lupin would bring a certain number of people affected by the wolf, to visit Ron. It was all very secretive, and nobody who ever went to see Ron actually got a look at his face, but they learned to swear by this mysterious healer's ability to chase away the wolf that plagued and tormented them so. Ron always made sure that he saw just as many children and teenagers as he did adults, and he always left the selection of who to help up to Lupin. He would sleep for a solid day after he had helped as many as he could.
And so it was that life went on, surrounded by family and friends, mysteries and adventure, pain and struggle, love and hate, life and death. The lessons that were learned were difficult, but they also allowed for the understanding of how precious life truly is, and that through our mistakes we can learn and find the happiness and love that is deserved.
THE END
Well, there it is. One very large Ron Weasley and Harry Potter fanfic COMPLETED. I know a large number of you have been following this story, and I would really appreciate it if you let me know how you liked (or didn't like) it!
Harry Lvr. What can I say, your reviews have been absolutely terrific and I can't wait to get this last one (which you promised would be very long!). I really appreciate that you have reviewed on every single chapter (and I don't think that's an exaggeration) and I loved hearing your comments and theories and everything else you had to say!
Now, to answer your comments and questions: You made a comment that you didn't think the words Hogwarts, Voldemort, and Summit were enough for Ron to determine where the final battle would take place. I suppose it is a bit sketchy, but when you think about all the hype based around the end of Voldemort and Hogwarts' place within the wars entire history, and the insanity and vengeful feelings of the Dragon Lord, it just sort of fell into place. That and Ron was likely a little crazy and therefore able to think like the dragon lord :)
As for Lupin thinking the name sounds familiar (jeeze, I had to go and read those bits again to be sure this answer was right ;). I never stated that age of the Richard Yorkshire (Dragon Lord) or when he went to school but I did say he had associated himself with Tom Riddle/Voldemort and that he disappeared after he graduated from Hogwarts. This association didn't have to take place through school however, and therefore the likelihood that Richard Yorkshire was at Hogwarts for at least one of Lupin's years is entirely possible :) I hope that answers that question!
Harry's patronous…definitely weird, but I figured he's a strong and powerful wizard, and he was being given a chance at having Ron back for good, and he was going to do everything he could to keep it that way. I don't know if anyone noticed but I did actually have him think three separate (and positive) thoughts just before casting his patronous instead of just one.
I sincerely hoe that aswers your questions, and if you have anymore (which I would love to hear and answer) then I'll post a review in response to it! I wish you all the best in the land of Aussie (Aussie football Rules! But rugby's better) and thank you again for being so supportive of this fic!
Scribhneoir. Thank you as well for your many (many many…) reviews! It's nice to know that the line "Is every egotistical, power hungry, world dominating, evil wizard from Hogwarts!" stood out so much! I had fun writing that one! As for Ron finally deciding that he was underestimated a little too often, I felt it was time he gave himself a little respect.
I'm sorry I had to end it for Horns and Howly, but I think their sacrifice was their ultimate gift to him. I created them as his guardian angels from the beginning, and I don't think of them as gone because they have simply come to live in a different state within him.
I mentioned the bracelet being removed in this chapter, but just to clarify a little further I'll say that it was designed specifically so that only Ron couldn't remove it. If he had trusted Lupin enough he could have asked him for his help long before…but that wouldn't be very in character with the Ron I've developed ;)
I'm also really glad that Harry and Ron's meeting went well in your books! I wasn't sure if it was too much emotion or not enough. I was also worried for a while about their first conversation (that took place in this chapter ;), but in the end I was happy with it. Really, there's only so much that needs to be said.
As for the ending of this story, I felt it was necessary to paint their future without going into a lot of detail (that would have been a whole other book). I could never, ever, see the trio actually settling down and living somewhat normal wizard lives. No way. They've just experienced and been involved in waaaay too much to simply stop helping people. As far as I'm concerned they're going to be helping other until the end.
As is all of your reviews were a delight to read and I thank you for taking the time to let me know you appreciate the story.
I should also clarify my reasons for the lack of relationships in this story (since I suspect people are curious, but I apologize for blithering on if you're not). Simply put, there are so many stories out there with the relationships that I wanted to steer clear and make this simply a friendship fic. There's just as much love and emotion involved, it's just too bad for hopeless romantics :) As for Hermione and Krum, and not Hr/R, why not? Sometimes being with someone through so many different experiences solidifies a friendship to the point where going beyond would be risking too much.
I would also like to thank catc10 (I really hope you didn't hurt yourself crashing around the room! LOL), Kamonkey, and Noompjuh and EVERYONE! Else who reviewed throughout the course of the this novel sized fic. You ROC!
All the Best.
Danielle
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