Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor do make money.

66. Balance

Sitting on the bed next to Hermione's, his eyes focused on her now peaceful face, Theo found himself teetering on the edge of breaking down and withdrawing completely.

The strong, aromatic scent of firewhisky pervaded his precarious grip on reality as a baritone voice broke through the walls he had started to build with, "I thought you could use this."

Looking over, he saw Ron Weasley with a bottle and another glass in one hand as well as the full glass he had extend, "Go ahead. It's just firewhisky. If it makes you feel better I pilfered it from Malfoy."

Sadly, it didn't make him feel better because he wished it was Draco or Blaise handing him the drink but they had disappeared long ago as well as most others. He could kind of understand Potter walking away as he had after everything he had seen last year, and Ron having to take Ginny back to her rooms with Pansy in tow but he figured Draco and Blaise could have stayed with him just a little longer. However, they shot out of the infirmary not long after Hermione's friends had left.

Taking the glass, he murmured, "Thank you," before turning back to watch her. Quietly he sipped the drink, feeling the bed sink as Ron apparently was joining him before asking, "Where's Pansy?"

"She stayed with Ginny. Neville and Luna are also with them. They were trying to get her into bed when I left."

"And Potter?"

"Off on his own."

"Why aren't you with him?" Theo asked, as he heard the clink of glass against the stone floor.

It felt like several minutes before Weasley replied, but it probably was only a few seconds, "Honestly, I was on my way to look for him but then I saw Zabini pulling Tracey into your all's bedroom and Draco disappearing into some classroom with a bird and well, Harry prefers to deal with stuff on his own, so here I am."

"You know that makes no sense."

"Okay, how about your two best mates are getting shagged while you sit here with her probably driving yourself crazy with everything you think you could have done or should have done while worrying not so much about if she will wake up but if she will survive. So having been through that last part myself, I figured you needed a friend more than Harry at the moment who likes to be left alone anyway. So here I am. Better?"

Theo found himself floored at that explanation. He couldn't find the words nor his voice to express the gratitude that was flooding over him at the moment. Never in a million years, even after everything they had gone through this past year and the lifetime before that, would he ever feel thankful for someone to commiserate with, for someone who understood just what he was feeling and wasn't going to preach or tell him he just needed to get laid. In this singular moment, he understood completely why Pansy chose him; Weasley had somehow become a man while the rest of them were still clinging to their childhoods.

He especially appreciated Ron letting him have his silence for a few more minutes before saying, "I'm glad Madame Pomfrey let you stay by the way. They made me go back my room and it was awful to be there not knowing what I would find in the morning."

"They didn't let you stay?" Theo asked surprised, he assumed that Weasley had stayed from the beginning. At least that's what it seemed to him. Weasley had been there in the infirmary with Pansy morning, noon, and night; every time Theo had tried to go himself.

"No," Ron softly replied. "But I know why and even understand why they did it -- trying to protect me... But it didn't make the stress any easier."

"Why?"

Theo turned his head when he heard no answer from Ron. He studied him as Ron finished his drink and poured himself another one. Seeing a tear slip out onto Ron's face, he finally heard him sigh and explain, "Because none of us believed she would make it through the night."

Theo's heart stopped. Slamming back the rest of his drink at that piece of information, he found himself being offered the bottle when he had finished. Taking the bottle with a shaking hand, he poured himself a new drink. He had heard rumors about how bad her assault was given the amount of blood Ron supposedly had on him when he returned that night but he had never thought, for even one second, how bad it really was.

"I probably shouldn't have told you that," Ron whispered, taking the bottle back and setting it on the floor.

"No I'm glad you did. I'm sorry you went through that by yourself."

"So you understand completely now, why I'm here?"

Theo just nodded his head before quietly saying, "It turned out it looked worse than it was. The healers from St. Mungo's said it would be a couple of days before she would wake after losing so much blood but that they think she will make a completely recovery."

"I'm glad to hear that," Ron whispered. "I always thought our lives would be so much easier after Voldemort's death but it hasn't been that way. Especially for her. She didn't deserve what I did to her or to watch everything happened."

Theo sighed, wanting to tell Ron he was right, but instead said, "Well you didn't deserve what you had to go through either and neither did Pansy."

He expected Ron to say something in return, though he didn't know what. However, Ron just sat there quietly sipping on his drink. Theo turned to look at him, studying the man sitting beside him: the silent strength that radiated off him, the determination to hold it together, the million thoughts Theo could see rolling through his eyes, simple gestures, and sighs. After a few minutes, Theo turned back to Hermione and tried to focus on everything he was going to tell her when she woke.

"Just be honest with her," Ron's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Logical and thorough declarations would probably help too with her but also let her see what you are saying. Let her see that you care for her when you say it...She always says she is a visual person -- whatever that means."

Theo turned his head, shocked that Ron seemed to read his thoughts. He didn't say anything as Ron gave off a soft laugh and said, "Even if Pansy hadn't already told me and I hadn't seen it for myself, it's written all over your face at the moment."

"But..."

"Just remember besides me there's Harry, my four older brothers, and a bloody terrifying little sister. Hurt her and I can't promise you that anyone will be able to save you from Ginny. We'll probably be lucky to find you in one piece to be perfectly honest."

"But she won't..." Theo started before his voice trailed off thinking of all the ways she had gone out of her way to avoid him, talk to him, have anything to do with him since she yelled at him in the common room the day they had been informed that Ron and Pansy had done a binding ceremony.

"She won't...?"

"Talk to me," he finally whispered. "She's been avoiding me for two weeks now. Ever since..."

"Ever since the two of you were notified of the binding?"

Sighing, Theo just nodded.

After a few minutes Ron responded, "If she finds out I told you this, I'll throw you off of the astronomy tower but she's been crying on Ginny and Harry's shoulder non-stop about that since Pansy inadvertently made her realize just who she wanted and who she needed in her life."

Theo wasn't sure what he was suppose to say because he wasn't sure if he completely understood the implications of what Ron was telling him.

"And everyone says I'm thick," Ron said with a choppy laugh. "She wants you Theo. She may need Harry and me but she wants you. I don't know all the details about that fight she said you two had and frankly from what I have been told it was more of her yelling at you then you actually yelling back but I do know I'm frankly tired of having a best friend who breaks down every time she sees you because she honestly believes you won't forgive her. When she wakes up, she better know just what exactly you see when you look at her."

"And what is that?"

"See," Ron said, refilling his glass before handing the bottle to Theo as he said, "if we are going to be friends, then we will have to come to the understanding that I'm the dense one. Anyway, I know what I see when I look at Pansy and Harry's told me what he sees when he looks at Ginny, so what do you see when you look at her?"

"The heavens," he whispered before taking a sip off his drink. "The sun, the moon, the stars, everything."

"That wasn't so hard. Now you just have to grow the bollocks to tell her that."

"Can I ask a personal question?"

"Shoot."

"What do you see when you look at Pansy?"

"I see her." Theo about choked on his drink when he heard those words. Ron just laughed, before continuing, "Don't worry Harry did the same thing. As did most of my brothers to be honest with you but it's true. I see her -- happy, laughing, and whole. There is nothing more beautiful to me in this world than to wake up and see her right beside me."

"What does Harry see?"

"Peace. Which frankly amazes me more than anything."

"Why is that?"

"You have met my sister, right," Ron responded incredulous. "Small little imp with a nasty bat-boogey hex and more trouble than a Weasley Whizbang on her good days?"

Theo couldn't help but laugh out loud as Ron continued to rave about how the hell Harry could see peace when talking about his sister. Hearing Ron's impassioned speech start to fall apart as the two of them laughed, brought him something he couldn't quite put his finger on. All he could safely say is that having Ron Weasley as a friend might be the best thing a person could ask for at times like these. Theo just hated that it took him this long to figure this out.