Disclaimer: Still don't own anything. I have all of the books, though. They are all tattered from reading them over and over. I don't suppose that counts though. ::sigh::

Spoilers: definitely. There will probably be spoilers for all of the books.

A/N: I'm a bit disappointed at the lack of reviews for my last chapter. However, I do have one faithful reader (Thanks Marymqc!!!) so I will continue. Don't worry Marymqc. This fic is all about Ron angst (I wouldn't have it any other way).

This is my first HP fic, and my very first series type fic thingy. lol, descriptive, huh? The action is gonna start pretty soon. I just have to set things up a bit first. By the way, this takes place in the summer after 5th year, so there will be spoilers for all of the books.

Anyways, I have a lot of the story planned out in my head, so it should be updated fairly quickly, but...don't quote me. After all, I am the world's worst procrastinator. PLEASE REVIEW. It'll help motivate me to write more. Right, well I'm done rambling for now. On to the show! L.K.

"Spoken"

'Thought'

'Telepathy'

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Ron lay back in the cool grass allowing the summer breeze to wash over him. The gentle wind held the soft smell of fresh flowers. Ron closed his eyes and smiled dreamily. He loved lying in his mother's flower garden. It was so beautiful and serene. Oddly enough, Ron had never once seen a gnome running through it. He didn't know if there was some sort of spell protecting the flowers, or if the gnomes just preferred the front yard. He sighed contentedly, deciding that it didn't really matter, as long as they just stayed away.

This garden was precious to mum; she had spent many hours tending to it. Her mother had a similar garden at her own home. These "gardens of remembrance" were a tradition in mum's family, passed down from mother to daughter. Every female in the family was to create on of these gardens when she married. Even the women who married into the family were taught by the current matriarch to create and maintain one. Each garden was unique to each separate family. Mum had planted nine different breeds of flowers in a circular pattern around the patch of grass that Ron was currently relaxing in. The vibrant colors melted together, forming a brilliant collection of yellows, blues, and purples. She said that each type of flower represented a different family member. She had chosen them carefully to reflect each person's personality. Mum had begun the garden on the eve of her wedding by planting flowers for dad and herself. After that she had planted the flowers on the first birthday of each child.

Ron always came to the garden when he wanted to relax. He just wanted to rest and be peaceful. The events of the past year had taken their toll on Ron and his friends. He hadn't heard from Harry all summer. Hermione wrote short letters expressing her concern for their friend, but never really said much of any importance. Ron had owled both of them many times, though he rarely received a response. He was trying to regain some sense of normality. Things had changed so much in the past year that Ron was no longer sure of what to do. He tried denial. It had always worked for him in the past. However, he wasn't able to deny the seriousness of the situation. It was simply too real. It stared Ron in the face day after day. It glared madly at him from the harsh welts that still marked his arms. The horrible nightmares, which the brain had inflicted on Ron, were now subsiding. However, he still had moments he was plagued by memories, which were most definitely not his own. Those, too, were not as frequent as they had been right after the attack. Still, Ron knew that he wouldn't have made it through the last month if it hadn't been for Ginny's presence.

It had been years since Ron and Ginny found out about the Ceangal. They had been so young, so curious, and so extremely unprepared for such powerful information. Ron had just finished his first year at Hogwarts when his younger sister, Ginny, convinced him that they had to ask their parents about their abilities. She was curious as to why she could only share her emotions and thoughts with Ron. Ron had to admit that he, too, was curious but had been reluctant to tell anyone about it. He was inexplicably nervous about revealing their secret. In the end, though, their powers became so strong that it was difficult for the two young children to hide them any longer. They decided that they had to ask their parents for help. Ron remembered how nervous they had been. Telling his mum had been the hardest thing Ron had ever done.

They had been surprised when their mum accepted their secret calmly. Looking back now, Ron supposed they shouldn't have been too shocked. After all, mum was very observant. She had probably noticed how close Ron and Ginny had become. He was sure that she had noticed how much time they had spent together while testing their powers. It was most likely that she had seen Ron and Ginny speaking telepathically. They hadn't been too careful about hiding it at first. They would make facial expressions, gestures, and burst out laughing at odd moments. He realized that it wasn't too smart, but they had been young.

Ron wasn't sure how mum had found out exactly what Ron and Ginny shared, though. She had never had any solid evidence of their powers. Only suspicion. She told them that she and dad had started researching all sorts of telepathy and strange bonds when Ron was about five years old. Nothing had really fit, though. They were showing too many signs of odd powers. Some bonds brought two people very close but did not allow for telepathy. Others gave telepathic powers, but did not explain the empathic powers that the children appeared to have. Finally, when Ron was eight, his parents came across a passing reference to the Ceangal. Intrigued, mum and dad had researched this bond. They had soon found that the Ceangal's powers fit. After reading about all of the horrible things that happened to people with powers of the Ceangal, mum and dad decided not to tell the children. They hoped that the powers would dissipate so that Ron and Ginny could live normal lives.

Obviously, that didn't happen. Ron and Ginny had already been testing their bond before they spoke with mum. They found that their strongest power was telepathy, which came in quite handy at times. Namely, when Fred and George were trying to trick them in some way. They tested this power to see how close they had to be to communicate. They were quite pleased to find that they could communicate clearly at an extremely long distance. That had made it easier to bear being separated when Ron went away to school. However, it was still difficult for them to handle their empathic powers. Perhaps that had to do with their passionate and emotional natures. Whatever the cause, they were unable to control the flow of emotions that traveled through the Ceangal.

Once their mother had explained things a bit more clearly, Ron and Ginny researched the Ceangal themselves. Mum was right; the textbooks were not very helpful. However, there were tips, here and there, that helped them in training their powers properly. Their constant training and testing seemed to relieve the stress that the powers had initially put on their bodies. They were soon able to filter their emotions, allowing only certain ones to flow through their bond. Ron was grateful for that now, since it would be very embarrassing for his sister to feel the desire that welled up in him every time he looked at a pretty girl. Bloody teenage hormones, Ron thought grumpily.

However, they had also found that very strong emotions could pass through the Ceangal no matter how hard they tried to hide them. For instance, Ginny felt it every time Ron became furious at Malfoy or Snape, and Ron felt it when Ginny was truly terrified. Ron shuddered as memories from his second year at Hogwarts flashed through his mind. He cursed himself for not realizing that something was wrong with Ginny. Riddle's control over her had been strong enough to subdue her emotions, especially when she was doing his bidding. However, Ron had felt surges of fear and confusion coming off of Ginny many times throughout the year. He had asked her about them, but she just shrugged it off and said she was concerned about all of the odd things that had been happening. And being an incredible git, Ron had believed her. Well, that is until he felt her terror the night that she was taken. He had tried to remain calm as he prepared to search for her. After all, no one was supposed to know about the Ceangal.

Ron could still remember the way his heart seemed to stop beating when he felt her pain. He knew immediately that she was in mortal peril and he had to get to her. He was unsurprised when he heard that Ginny had been taken into the chamber. However, a feeling of dread had settled horribly in his stomach. Ginny was the most important person in the world to Ron. He was very close to Harry and Hermione, but Ginny was a part of him. She made him whole. He refused to allow any harm to come to her. If only he could have followed the bond to reach her. The bloody castle was too complicated, however, and he'd been unable to find the correct path.

Ron had been so relieved when Harry brought her safely out of the chamber. Just seeing Ginny standing in front of him, relatively unharmed, nearly made him cry with joy. As they studied each other, their mutual feelings of love and relief flowed so strongly through the bond that Ron felt as though he would collapse. They had stayed up late that night, reveling in the calm of the Common Room. The room had been abandoned hours before, as exhausted students made their way up the stairs to their respective dormitories. Ron and Ginny took advantage of the empty room and stayed behind to talk. Ron knew that Ginny had been putting on a brave face that day. People had been pestering her constantly, asking how she was and what had happened. She had remained calm and collected, but Ron could feel her fear and sadness. She suppressed her emotions so that her classmates wouldn't see how much the ordeal had affected her. She kept it all inside until they were alone in the Common Room. He had held her for hours as she cried and told him all that had happened.

'What's the matter?' Ginny's concerned voice entered his mind. Ron smiled as he felt her walking across the yard. It was hard to explain just how he could sense her like that. He could simply feel her presence. It was like drinking hot tea with honey. He felt liquid warmth, tinged with sweet innocence, flow over him whenever she was near. It calmed him, kept him grounded.

'I was just reminiscing.' Ron replied softly. He didn't really want to tell Ginny what he'd been thinking about. It might upset her.

'Must not have been fond memories.' Ginny noted, as she lay down next to her brother. She spoke casually, but Ron knew that she was curious. He folded his arms behind his head, staring up at the clear blue sky. Not one cloud was present.

'You could say that.' He returned just as casually. He inhaled deeply through his nose, taking in the sweet scent of flowers before continuing. 'I'd rather not talk about it, if you don't mind.'

'Of course.' Ginny's voice was so gentle as it floated through his mind. It soothed him, chasing all dark thoughts from his mind. 'We can just lay here if you want.'

Ron was so grateful to have a wonderful sister like Ginny. She cared about him so much. She never pried or pestered him to speak. She understood that he was not good at articulating his thoughts and emotions. She knew that he would tell her whatever was bothering him when he was ready. Ron turned his head slightly to the side to watch his sister. She was lying on her back, using her arms for a pillow. Her vibrant red hair was spread about her in stark contrast with the crisp green grass. Her honey brown eyes were closed as she basked in the sunlight. A light sprinkling of freckles covered the fair skin of her face. She truly was beautiful. It was no wonder she was able to get boyfriends easily.

'What are you looking at?' Ginny asked, sounding slightly amused. Her eyes remained closed, but her delicate lips curved in a small smile. Ron blushed and returned to his earlier study of the cloudless sky.

'Nothing.' He replied softly. She was so grown up. He idly wondered when that had happened.

'It's beautiful out here, isn't it?' Ron smiled at the familiar question. If one of them was upset, they always ended up talking about the beauty of their mum's garden. It was simple. Most importantly, it was a momentary distraction from their troubles. Unfortunately, Ron could not be distracted today.

'Gin, do you think things will ever be the same again?' Ron asked. All of the frustration and worry that had been building up inside of him suddenly felt so overpowering. He didn't wait for Ginny to respond. He knew that she wouldn't speak until he had vented a bit. He was thankful for that. 'I mean, You-Know-Who is really back now. He and the Death Eaters are killing all sorts of people everyday. And for some bloody reason it's all up to Harry to kill the Dark Bastard! You know Harry can't do it. Not now. I think Sirius' death may have been the final straw. Harry was already upset enough about Cedric, and now his Godfather has been killed!' Ron was shouting at the top of his lungs. Well, he would have been if he were really speaking. He could feel himself shaking and knew he must be turning a rather brilliant shade of red. Ron tried to get a reign on his temper. He took a few deep breaths and felt Ginny send him feelings of reassurance and peace. He relaxed immediately.

'Thanks. It's just that I'm worried about him.' Ron continued, sounding utterly depressed. 'He won't even respond to my letters, Gin. Hermione says that he won't talk to her either. I don't think he'll make it through another battle. Hermione doesn't seem to be doing much better. I think she's still hurting from what happened at the Department of Mysteries last month. She doesn't say that, of course. I can just feel it, though. Have you read her letters? They just seem different somehow. They don't sound like her. She hasn't pestered me about homework once! I don't know what to do. I want to help them, but I don't know how. Will we ever be able to just lie here and watch the sky without worrying about death and war? We are too young for this, Gin. I just want to go back to when everything was simple.' Ron deflated at that. His energy had deserted him somewhere near the end of his rant. For the first time in a long time, Ron felt truly hopeless.

'Things were never simple, Ron. Perhaps they were more simple than things are now, but we have been facing challenges all of our lives.' Her voice was quiet in his exhausted mind. She was right, of course, but that wasn't what Ron had wanted to hear.

'Is that what this is, then? Is it a challenge?' Ron asked miserably. He closed his eyes against the sight of the gorgeous blue sky. How could it look so beautiful, so pure, when there were such horrible things going on. The world was quickly sinking into darkness and yet the sun continued to shine cheerfully. Nothing made sense anymore. He wasn't sure he could overcome this.

'Yes, I think it is. It may be the hardest one we've faced, but we will overcome it. Just like we overcame the others.' Ginny replied confidently. He could feel her eyes on him as she continued her pep talk. 'Don't worry, Ron. We'll figure something out. We always do. Now, let's get inside. Mum'll have dinner ready soon.' With that Ginny rose to her feet and headed towards the Burrow. Her hair gleamed in the sun like a beacon guiding him home.

'She's right,' thought Ron. 'We always do.'