It's the Heart that Matters
I am falling into grace
To the unknown to where you are
And faith makes everybody scared
It's the unknown, the don't-know
That keeps me hanging on and on and on to you
- Unknown, Lifehouse
There were just certain things that Harry would never talk about. The future was one.
Ron remembered in the late days of that summer-- before the Ministry, before the months of forests, when they were snuggly hidden from the world that threatened to fall without so much as a sound… he remembered late nights around the fire, trying so hard to pretend that You Know Who was not out there. To pretend that they were only first years, curled up in oversized armchairs awaiting the horrors of potions class and regretting that sixth and final treacle tart.
He remembered closing his eyes, feeling the scented tickle of Hermione's hair against his cheek, hearing Harry's snort of laughter as she went off about something involving Umbridge and mating Catherine wheels.
The past was safe. Innocent. Untouched by You Know Who and his war.
It was a place to hide.
The'When this is all over…'s would die in their throats before their jaws could even unclench. Ron and Hermione had sacrificed the promise of a future the moment they had both jumped through the trapdoor so long ago.
They all faced the same unknown now.
But Ron knew, as he grasped his best friend in a sopping hug… as he felt the strong thrashing of Harry's heart reassure him that his anchor was still there to pull him back time and time again… Ron knew that it didn't matter. They were all alive. All fighting. And that was that.