"Harry! Go for the snitch, we can't let Malfoy win!" Ron screamed from across the pitch. The game was neck and neck and Malfoy was rocketing into the sky like one of Fred and George's new fireworks. Harry was already in a climb and his hand was stretched forward to catch the golden globe.
There was a collective gasp as Malfoy pulled his wand and banished Harry's broom causing the up and coming Quidditch star to plummet to the ground.
"HAAAAARRRRRRYYYYYYY!" Ron shouted and left his post at the goals.
Harry miraculously pulled out of the dive and shot with tremendous speed to capture the snitch before Malfoy knew what had happened. Ron was so dumbstruck that he collided with Sloper and the two of them crashed to the pitch below.
"Ron! Ron, wake up!" Harry shook him gently. "Are you alright? That was a nasty hit that you and Jack took."
Ron blinked his eyes and gazed in amazement at The-Boy-Who-Lived. "What in bloody hell was that, Harry?!" He barked in confusion. "Where do you get off being able to fly without a broom?!"
Harry blushed as he extended a hand to help his friend to his feet. "That's only a recent development." Harry said quietly. "Listen, I couldn't let you lose to that git of a ferret but I've got to go."
"What are you talking about, Harry?" Ron asked curiously. "WE JUST WON THE HOUSE CUP!!" Ron caught his friend in a bear hug and laughed triumphantly. Harry laughed and forced Ron to put him back down.
"Listen, Ron, I need you to really listen." Harry said seriously.
Ron looked at him blankly and felt a terrible emptiness begin to fill his stomach. "Harry, what's wrong, mate?"
"I can't stay much longer, Ron, I know about you and Hermione."
Ron blanched. "How?! I-I mean ... Harry ..."
Harry put up a hand to silence him. "Ron, don't worry about it, I'm not going to be in the way." He said seriously. "You have to promise me that you'll watch over her and keep her safe."
"Of course I will, Harry, but you'll be here to do that too ..." Ron looked in Harry's eyes and for the first time saw the depth of his sadness and pain. Ron's eyes went wide and he went to put a hand on Harry's shoulder but he fell short. "Harry, what's wrong, mate? You can tell me ..."
"Ron, I'm going to miss you, you've been like a brother to me, you realize that, don't you?" Harry said compassionately.
Ron felt tears start to sting his eyes. "Of course I do! You're my best friend and it's like you've always been in my family ... Harry, why are you telling me this?"
Harry smiled wanly and looked to the sky. "Because I have to go, Ron. I'll tell my Dad about our Quidditch games, he played for Gryffindor too ..."
"Your Dad's dead, Harry ... Are you going to visit their graves?"
Harry shook his head. "Take care of Hermione, Ron. I love you both ... I'll tell Sirius you said hi ..."
"Ron! Ron, wake up!"
"Geroff, Ginny!" Ron said groggily. "I'm talking to Harry!"
"Ron ... Harry's in the hospital wing!" Ginny cried frantically. "Get UP!" She pulled the blankets and caused Ron to spill out onto the cold stone floor. With a bang and a grunt, Ron got to his feet and crossed to his crying sister.
"WHAT IN THE BLOODY ..." He stopped when he realized what she'd said. "HARRY'S WHAT?!" Ron grabbed his robes and threw them on as he shot from the room at a full run. Without looking, he barreled through the portrait hole and slid painfully down several flights of stairs. He heard glass shatter in the distance and renewed his efforts to get to his destination.
Hagrid's anguished sobs caused him to stumble and his heart shattered when he entered the white walled halls of the hospital wing. Hermione was sobbing uncontrollably next to his best friend, Dumbledore was collapsed in a chair and Hagrid, the strongest man he knew was wailing like a lost child on the floor.
Ron's gaze finally settled on the prone form of his best friend just as his sister stepped up beside him. "HARRY!" Ron and Ginny cried in unison. Ginny collapsed on the spot and just shook her head in shock.
Ron was at the side of the bed and began to weep uncontrollably. "What happened? WHAT?! I'm going to kill whoever did this!"
MALFOY! IT HAD TO BE THAT BLOODY FERRET MALFOY!
Hermione glanced at Ron and began to weep anew.
"I'm sorry, but you're all going to have to leave." Madam Pomfrey said quietly. "I need to examine him to see how extensive the damage is."
"I'm not going." Hermione and Ron said in unison.
"You'll have to." The nurse said compassionately. "As soon as I'm finished I'll let you in, but it will only be one at a time."
"Why isn't he breathing?" Hermione asked quietly. She had found the strength to stand but the flow of her tears could not be stemmed.
"He's alive, but barely." The nurse said quietly. "His body is trying to cope with what's happened, by all accounts, he shouldn't ..."
Hermione shook her head. "He can't be dead ..." She choked over a sob. "He shouldn't be ..." She covered her face and ran from the room.
"Hermione!" Ginny called after her. She didn't stop running and Ginny looked back sadly. "I'm going to go after her ..." She looked at Harry and let held back a wave of tears. "I'll be back." With that, Ginny left the room at a run.
"Why? I mean I know there are people who want to kill him, but who here?" Ron set a trembling hand on Harry's shoulder but jerked it back quickly and wiped the tears from his face instead.
Malfoy.is.dead. Ron said evenly to himself and his face hardened as he looked at his best friend.
"There is no evidence of foul play, headmaster." An irritatingly familiar voice said quietly behind him. Ron spun and scowled at the greasy-haired, overgrown bat that was his potions professor.
"OH! AND I ASSUME THAT YOU HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS!?" Ron bellowed at the top of his lungs. "I WOULDN'T PUT IT PAST YOU TO ..."
"Hold your tongue, Weasley!" Snape sneered in anger. The look in his eyes gave Ron pause and he flinched involuntarily at a sudden movement. Snape pulled a vial from his robes and handed it to the nurse. "I believe this should repair the damage he's sustained."
"Thank you, Severus." Dumbledore said wearily. "Why don't we let Madam Pomfrey get to work? I'm sure we all are troubled by tonight's events." He stepped behind Ron who was scowling at the man who had saddled Harry with most of his troubles at the school. "Come along, Ron, there's no sense in fighting amongst ourselves. I believe our young Miss Granger is in need of comforting ..."
At the mention of Hermione's name, Ron quickly settled down and nodded glumly. "She talked to him last night before we went to bed ..." Ron sighed. "He didn't come to the room and I thought he was up waiting for midnight to come around like he usually does on Christmas ..." Ron choked back a sob ... "I didn't know ..."
"Come along, Ron." Dumbledore said quietly. "Why don't we go for some hot cocoa? It usually helps me when I need a bit of a lift ..."
Ron nodded sadly and followed the old wizard out of the hospital wing. They stopped just outside the door where the headmaster waved his wand and repaired the shattered glass. He stiffened when a hand settled on his shoulder and he shrugged it off as he spun around.
"Mr. Weasley ... Ron ..." Snape said in a barely audible voice. "I didn't have anything to do with this. I would never willingly hurt a student, even one as infuriating as Potter."
Ron took a step back at the sadness that was reflected in the man's eyes but it lasted for a moment.
"It's important that you watch after your friends, Mr. Weasley." He said in is more uncaring tone and nearly glided down the hall towards the dungeons with his cloak flowing behind him.
Ron stood dumbstruck wondering if he'd actually imagined that uncharacteristic exchange with Snape. "Wha?"
"There are more people who are affected by what's happened than you know, Ron." Dumbledore said quietly behind him. "Let's go get that hot cocoa, shall we?"
Ron turned unblinkingly and followed the headmaster of Hogwarts without a sound, they soon found themselves standing in front of an all too familiar portrait of a bowl of fruit and the aged wizard gently tickled the pear.
With a soft fit of giggles, the pear jiggled slightly and the portrait swung open to reveal the entrance to the kitchens. The two of them stepped inside to a sight that broke both of their hearts.
Dobby was sobbing uncontrollably at the table and was holding a bottle of butterbeer in his hands. "Oh, mishter Harry Potter ... Sho great, why? Why ish he alwaysh the tar*hic*arget of him?" The drunken house elf took an exaggerated swig from the bottle and drained the rest of the contents. When he realized that it was empty, he threw it across the room and went back to sobbing in his arms.
Winky walked up nervously and tugged on Dumbledore's robes gently. "I am being sorry, Master Dumbledore, sir, but Dobby is being busy ... Am I being of help, Master Dumbledore, sir?"
Ron walked over to the pitiful form of Dobby and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "He's going to be ok, Dobby."
Dobby looked up at the red-headed young man with blood-shot, teary eyes. "Mishter Weazshy, shir ..." He hugged Ron around the waist and broke into a melodramatic fit of crying. Ron looked up at the headmaster and not knowing what else to do, patted the small creature on the back.
"Winky, could you get us two mugs of hot cocoa, please?" Dumbledore asked with a kindly smile.
"Will you be wanting your normal sugar cookies with that, Master Dumbledore, sir?" She asked nervously.
The old man smiled again and nodded. "That would be wonderful, Winky. Oh, and a little something to help sober Dobby up?"
Winky nodded and went about her duties. After a few minutes she returned with a plate of cookies and three mugs. She handed one to Dobby and had him drink it down. Within seconds, smoke belched from his ears, nostrils, and mouth followed by the sharp smell of lilacs and mint. With a peep of surprise, Dobby's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fell to the table with a thud.
"What was that?" Ron asked with wide eyes. "Is he going to be ok?"
Dumbledore let out a soft chuckle. "It was just herbal tea with a bit of hangover potion in it, Ron." He took a sip of his warm, chocolaty beverage. "House elves can't drink too much of it in any type of concentrated form. It makes them hyper. But when mixed with herbal tea, lilac and mint to be exact, it acts like a sobering dreamless sleep draught."
Ron nodded with a slight smile. "I'd hate to see Dobby hyper."
The two men and the sleeping Dobby sat quietly at the table drinking their beverage and munching on the delicious cookies.
"Sir, do you know who could have done this to Harry?" Ron asked quietly.
"That, Ron, is something that Harry will have to explain." The headmaster replied quietly. "As you heard, Professor Snape found no evidence of a struggle ..."
Ron shook his head. "It's strange ... I was dreaming that Harry and I were playing Quidditch and won the house cup ... But then it turned weird."
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow and gazed at the young red-head over his half-moon spectacles. "How so?"
"Well, he told me that he had to go and to watch over Hermione ..." Ron wiped a tear that had somehow found its way to his cheek. "He said he knew about Hermione and me dating ... I never told him that ..."
Dumbledore nodded quietly and looked deep in thought. Ron looked at him and decided that was a cue to continue.
"After that he told me he was going to tell his Dad about our games, but his parents are dead, professor ... He told me that he'd say hi to Sirius for me ..." More tears had started to trickle down his face and it became futile to try and wipe them all away. "He said he loved me, he's never told me that before ... Sir, what does it mean? It was just a dream, right?"
Ron looked to the man who was sitting across from him and noticed the tears that were streaking down his withered cheeks. He noticed that his young charge had stopped speaking and quickly wiped his face and cleared his throat.
"Sometimes, dreams are a way for us to deal with those things that we're afraid to face when we're awake." He explained softly. "Other times they're a means for our loved ones to send us messages, to let us know they'll be fine." He stopped for a moment and Ron couldn't help anticipating the next part of the explanation. He fought against the building grief and cleared his throat. "Other times ... Other times it's a way for those who have died to comfort us ... Let's just hope that it isn't the latter two."
Ron nodded dumbly and felt his lower lip start to tremble. Not wanting to show any further weakness and wanting to be with Hermione he cleared his throat and excused himself. "There has to be someone behind this, sir." Ron choked out. "Maybe they did it from a broom or something ... but I'm going to find him and make him pay."
Dumbledore looked to the young man and sighed at the anger reflected in his eyes. "Ron, let's not jump to any false accusations or wrong assumptions, we'll know what happened when Harry regains consciousness."
Ron nodded slightly and grunted in response. "Goodnight, sir." He said quietly and left the kitchen.
Like bloody hell! Someone did this to him and I'm going to find out who and kill the bastard!
Ron went to the one place he knew that Hermione found comfort whenever she was troubled and found the library deserted. "Hermione? Are you there?" He called out, hoping that she was just hiding. When no answer came he felt a pang of fear and pulled out his wand. With a desperate stride he began a search of the castle, looking in any place that he thought Hermione might go. She wasn't in the Transfiguration classroom or the Charms classroom. The dungeons was out of the question unless some bloody Slytherin dragged her down there. He checked the Room of Requirement and found a room that was empty of everything but photos of Hermione.
Stupid room of requirement! He cursed. I'm looking for Hermione and the bloody room shows me photos of her ... With a tired sigh he made his way to the Gryffindor common room. The fat lady looked at him sympathetically when he arrived.
"I'm so sorry to hear the news, dear." She said with a tired but comforting voice. "Hermione and your sister are already inside, no need for a password, go on in and get some rest, dear..."
Ron sighed in relief. "She's already back ..." He wiped at the tears that threatened to spill forth again and he climbed through the opening into the common room. Ginny was fast asleep on the sofa in front of the fire and Ron pulled the blanket from the back of it and covered her with the warm wool cloth.
He sat on the floor and stroked her hair gently. I'm sorry you didn't get the chance to date yet, Gin ... You shouldn't have to go through this ... Ron fought back a sob and rose quietly, looking sadly at his sister's tear stained face. With a sigh, he made his way up the stairs to his dormitory.
Ron reached the top of the tower and looked at the door that he and his best friend had gone through hundreds of times, remembering the laughter and friendship, Ron found that he couldn't hold back the flood of tears that he had been hiding from everyone else. As his shoulders shook in grief, he opened the door and stepped into the room. He heard someone let out a shuddering sob and he whipped his wand around and pointed it into the darkness. "Who's there?!" He growled ferociously.
"It's me." A shaking voice said quietly from his best friend's bed.
"Hermione?" He relaxed immediately and walked to Harry's bed. "We've been looking for you ... I was worried that whoever did this to Harry might still be around."
Hermione clutched at Harry's pillow and started to shake as her body was wracked with sobs.
"Hey ..." Ron said quietly as he sat on his friend's bed. He reached out to rub her back but Hermione flinched and pulled away. "Hermione ... we need to find who did this ..." His face fell and she could see the tears falling down his cheeks.
"I want to be alone." She said adamantly.
"Hermione, we need to help each other so that we can help Harry ..." Ron's voice cracked at the memory of Harry laying in the hospital wing's bed.
"Leave.Me.Alone.With.Harry." She said slowly. Ron reached out to her and she pulled away even further.
"Hermione, Harry's in the hospital wing ..." He said with confusion. "I'm your boyfriend, Hermione, don't shut me out ... I need you."
She looked at him furiously. "You need me?" She growled at him. "Harry needed me and look what happened!" She got out of the bed and went to Harry's trunk where she started to fish through his belongings.
"Hermione? What are you doing?" Ron asked bewildered.
"Harry's going to need his things." She said in a growl. "Here's his broom." She said quietly and set it gently on the bed as if it were made of the most fragile glass. She went back to her task and pulled out several articles of clothing and a few pictures. She found a shattered mirror at the bottom of the trunk and looked at it curiously. She picked it up and looked at the note attached to the back. "Oh, Harry ..." She said sadly. She carefully laid it with the other things and retrieved the pieces that had fallen from the frame.
"Hermione, he's in a coma ..." Ron said evenly. He got to his feet and walked over to his girlfriend. She didn't stop what she was doing and he pulled her to a standing position before he wrapped his arms around her. "Hermione, stop!"
She stood stiffly in his arms and didn't return his embrace when her shoulders began to shake. "Ron, forgive me ..." She said quietly with her head bowed.
"Why? What have you done?" He said in confusion. He held her at arm's length and tried to catch her eye. "It's not as if you pushed him from the astronomy tower ... So you have nothing to forgive me for."
At his words, Hermione began to cry harder and before Ron knew what was happening she'd grabbed the pile of things she'd set on the bed and ran from the room.
"Hermione!" Ron called after her. He knew that she was upset but he felt strange when she didn't return his hug and kept flinching away from him. Ron followed her out the door and made it to the common room. Ginny was sitting up with a confused look on her face.
"Ron? What's going on?" She asked quietly.
"Hermione's really been hit hard ..." Ron said quietly. "I need to talk to her." He turned to leave but felt Ginny's hand on his arm.
"Don't, Ron." She said sternly. "Let her have some space, she's not taking this too well."
Ron looked to his sister. "Did she say anything?"
Ginny looked at him and sighed. "She needs to be there for Harry right now, Ron ... Just give her some space."
Ron felt a pang of jealousy grip his heart but after a moment nodded in defeat. "Ok." He said quietly. "If anything happens, I'll be in my room ..."
Ginny pulled her brother into a tight hug. "He'll be ok, Ron, he'll be ok." She whispered through her tears. Ron hugged her back and nodded quietly.
"I know, Gin. Get some more sleep, I'll see you at breakfast, ok?"
Ginny nodded and gave him a peck on his cheek. "Thanks for the blanket, Ron." She said quietly and went back to the sofa. Ron smiled softly and went back to his room. He laid down and fell asleep within minutes.
A few hours later, Ron woke to a bright, sunny Christmas. At the foot of his bed was a large pile of gifts. He looked over to Harry's and found that he had gotten the same, few presents he got every year. One from him, another from Hermione, and the standard Weasley jumper. Tears formed in his eyes again and he didn't feel like opening anything this year. With a shuddering sigh, he got dressed and headed to the Great Hall for breakfast.
As he walked through the doors, he saw Hermione spooning eggs on to two plates and smiled happily.
She's coming back around. He thought happily. This is the first time she's fixed me a plate before I got here ...
He ran his fingers through his hair and walked up to two of the women in his life and stopped in his tracks. Ginny put a hand on Hermione's arm. The two girls hugged each other and their crying broke his heart. He remembered what Ginny had said and went to leave but he saw them talking. After a moment, he thought it would be best to talk to Hermione and let her know that he was there for her.
He started walking towards them but then caught the tail end of their conversation.
Hermione turned to her plate. "I told him ..." She said quietly and a soft smile spread across her lips.
"Told him?" Ginny asked curiously.
Hermione's smile faded and her lower lip trembled. "I told him I lo ... I love him." She said choking back a sob.
Hermione's never told me she ... Ron's eyes went wide and he felt a massive anger build in him. SHE LOVES HARRY?! Ron looked at his girlfriend, now ex-girlfriend, and saw her start crying again. He couldn't look at her anymore and stormed from the Great Hall.
With angry determination he made his way to the hospital wing. When? How long? Why didn't she tell me? Ron lost himself in his anger when a memory surfaced. Ron was disoriented, but he saw Harry kneel beside Hermione at the Department of Mysteries. He stopped in his tracks as more scenes flashed before his eyes. Harry grabbed Hermione's robes and pulled her into a run as prophecies were falling from the shelves ... The kiss on the cheek at the end of fifth year ... The stories in the Daily Prophet ... Their trip in the past to save Sirius ... Hermione rushing to Harry's side at Grimmauld place, snow still in her hair ... The way she looked at him when he wasn't looking ... The way they finished each other's sentences ...
Ron hung his shoulders in defeat ... Why didn't I see this? He shook his head with guilt ... She's always loved him ...
Ron looked up to see the door to the hospital wing open and Hagrid step into the hall. He didn't look any better than last night and nearly ran Ron over.
"Oh, sorry, Ron." He said gruffly. "I didn' see yeh ..."
Ron put a hand on the half-giant's arm and cleared his throat. "It's ok, Hagrid, how's he doing?"
Hagrid let out a mournful sob and covered his face with a large handkerchief. "'E's still out cold ... Why did 'e do it?"
"Who? Who did this, Hagrid?!" Ron growled angrily.
Hagrid looked at Ron with compassion and wiped his face. "Yeh didn' know?" He choked out between sobs. "'E jumped, Ron ... 'Arry jumped!" Hagrid couldn't handle his emotions and hurried away in tears.
Ron's jaw was still opening and closing like a guppy out of water. His mouth became painfully dry and he found himself walking to Harry's bed. He moved the curtains aside and looked at his comatose form and let out an anguished cry. "YOU JUMPED?! WHY?!" Ron fell to his knees at the side of the bed and buried his face in Harry's chest. "Why would you do that, Harry?! Why?!" He cried for a long time and after a while calmed a bit. Ron looked to his best friend and sighed miserably.
"I know that Hermione loves you, mate ... I didn't see it before ..." He sniffed and wiped is eyes. "Listen, you better wake up and come back to her, Harry, she needs you ... I need you, we all do. I won't stand in your way, mate, she's your girl now. I should have seen it earlier but I was too wrapped up in what I wanted ... I'm sorry I kept her from you, please come back ..."
He suddenly noticed the pile of books and the freshly folded clothes on the bedside table and chair. With a sniff, he got to his feet and looked down at Harry. "I'll come again, Harry ... I just need some time to get over Hermione, ok? You better come back or I'll get Trelawney to hold a séance and force you back!" Ron choked out a tearful laugh. "Imagine it'd take me ages to get her to do it with her track record, huh?"
Wiping the tears from his eyes, Ron left the hospital wing quietly, his anger spent. If nobody pushed him ... then why?