Unofficial Portkey Archive

Two weeks later, as November was drawing to a breezy close and a snowy December was just around the corner, Ron sat on the front steps of Hagrid's vacant cabin, reading the recent Daily Prophet. After scanning the front page article, he balled the paper up angrily and threw it into the small fire he had built. The fire crackled and the paper turned black and burst into a million pieces, making Ron smile with slight satisfaction.

Since that first article by Teresa Niffle about the Heirs, almost every single one afterward had been the same. The reporter was as fickle as her readers, jumping from one point of view to the next within paragraphs. At one moment, she supported the Heirs and Dumbledore but her tune changed half-way down the page and she was saying how much of a lie the whole situation was and cursing Dumbledore for being "a senile old fool that should retire promptly." Ron was beside himself with anger at her and wished he could pull one of Hermione's tricks and stick Ms. Niffle in a glass jar.

"Damn that Rita Skeeter wanna-be," he muttered, poking the dimming fire with a stick.

Shifting a little bit, Ron gazed toward the bright setting sun, watching as rays of gold, pink, and red stretched across the horizon. He sighed and looked at the ground, scuffing his trainers in the dirt. The two weeks that had passed since his friends had left for Illustris had been some of the most boring and slow weeks he had ever encountered. He waited anxiously for the day when Dumbledore would finally allow him to rejoin his friends. So far though, the old wizard had not brought it up again, even though the four students attended meetings in his office regularly.

The thing was, Ron felt completely useless at the moment and he felt very ignored as well. Not one letter had been written to him yet from his friends or from his sister. He hoped it meant they were just extremely busy and hadn't just forgotten about him.

As if to answer his thoughts, a snowy white owl flew down from the colorful sky and landed softly on the steps next to him, startling Ron out of his daydream.

"Hedwig!" he exclaimed excitedly.

Hedwig hooted a soft greeting and stuck her leg out, where three different letters had been attached. Feeling elated, Ron quickly untied the string around her leg, noticing immediately the neat handwriting of Hermione, the loopy scrawl of Harry, and the fine printing of Ginny.

"Thanks, girl," Ron said quietly, stroking her feathers. "Would you mind staying at Hogwarts overnight so I can bring you a reply to these in the morning?"

Hedwig gave a hoot of acknowledgment and stretched her wings before taking off to the owlery. Ron watched her slowly melt into the growing dusk before looking back to the letters and hurriedly opening up Harry's first.

Ron,

Hey! How are you? Sorry that I wasn't able to write any sooner to you, all the Professors are working us hard over here. They're also real reluctant to let any of us write letters, they think we're going to give away where we are. Yeah, as if I want Voldemort (Ron shuddered) just waltzing in here.
I hope everything at Hogwarts is going well. I really miss it there. Not that this place isn't great but its kinda boring with everything the four of us have to do. Not a lot of free time, you would be going crazy with all the homework.
About the classes, they're really not that bad. I can't go into too much detail but I think I know what I am going to transform into and I'm getting really good at dueling. Its a lot better than that stuff Lockhart taught us way back in second year.
Oh, and can you believe this? Malfoy is asking me to help him! He acquired a...well...certain gift and apparently I'm the only one who can relate to him. Imagine me getting along with Malfoy? Hermione's all excited about it because she thinks that its the first step to all of us really trusting each other. I guess I agree but I have a hard time trusting Malfoy, he's seems a bit too fascinated with certain objects that are placed all over here.
I really wish I could tell you more, I hate being all coded with my words. I hope you are doing well and I hope to maybe see you soon, you never know! Hermione and Ginny are doing great but I know they sent you their own letters so I won't say much about them. Oh yeah, and Snape sends his love, I bet you miss the old git, haha.
Don't feel too left out, mate, you still got Luna for company! Oh, and one more thing, watch yourself, ok? I just have this odd feeling that something might happen. Stick close to the castle and try not to wander too much. Maybe I'm just paranoid but try and take my advice seriously. I'll feel better once our training is done and Voldemort is officially rid of.
Hope to hear back from you!

Ron set the letter aside, feeling confused. What did Harry mean, "try not to wander too much"? Was Harry being as paranoid as he said he might be or was something truly going to happen? Ron pondered this a few minutes longer, finally deciding on doing as Harry said and taking his words seriously. With his mind made up, Ron reached over and picked up the letter from Hermione, holding it closer to the fire since the sun was almost set and the moon was now rising, colored a blood red.

Dear Ron,

How are you? I miss you so much! Sounds strange coming from me, especially after all those rows we get into but I truly do miss you. This place isn't exactly "home" without you around. I think all of us could use some of your jokes, yes, even Malfoy. The four of us are starting to get a little uptight. The professors are really hard on us and its only two weeks into training! Usually I don't mind hard work and I thrive on homework but this is insane!
The most intriguing part for me is the transformations. I'm almost positive I know what I am and I'm sure Harry told you he knows. McGonagall hasn't really let us do anything with it yet, only a lot of note taking, though she hinted at letting us practice in a few weeks. I've been reading so many books about it, you should see the library here! Its almost three times the size of Hogwarts' library! Oh, I can spend hours in there!
I absolutely loathe Snape though. My lessons with him are horrible! He's so hard on me and he's not helping me at all. I'm not any better and even though I can block certain things, my gift still gets in the way. The only person I can't really feel is Harry, which is probably a good thing, I don't want him to think I'm prying into his thoughts.
Oh! I bet Harry mentioned this but him and Malfoy may start getting along soon! I'm holding my breath and keeping my fingers crossed because it is just so important to everything! I really hope they can put aside their differences soon.
I'm also a little concerned about something. Ginny's been getting very quiet lately. It may be nothing but when I asked her what was wrong she wouldn't tell me. Maybe she mentioned it to you in her letter. I don't want you to worry, I'm sure its nothing big but I've never seen her so withdrawn before. It may just be her lessons with Trelawney, I know I'd be withdrawn if I had to deal with lessons from that fraud almost every day. Why Dumbledore thinks she can help Ginny is beyond me.
I should go now. I wish I could write more and I hope you understand my cryptic language. We can't say too much for fear of giving away our position and what we are exactly doing. If this were intercepted....I shudder to think of the consequences.
Please write back, I miss you, Ron!

Ron laughed as he set aside Hermione's letter. Her obsession with books and libraries was interesting, though he himself could never fully understand it. A library bigger than Hogwarts'? he thought. They'll never get her out of there! He chuckled and then furrowed his brow. What exactly was wrong with Ginny? He hoped her unread letter to him would leave some clues to that mystery. He didn't want to worry yet until he had actually read the letter.

Ron undid the letter and started to read the small printing:

Ron,

I feel absolutely exhausted right now but I had to write you a letter. I know you will feel ignored but the schedule here has been incredibly hectic. None of us hardly get a moments rest and I think we're ready to throttle each other. Not exactly a good way for us to bond, is it? I think we are getting better though. Harry and Hermione definitely trust each other and I know I trust them, the only person we have to worry about is Malfoy. Are we ever going to get along with him? There's so much bad history that involves him and he's not really trying to get us to like him. Except for asking Harry for some help with a certain issue, that's it. How are we ever going to defeat You-Know-Who and save the world if we don't all trust each other? And then there's this odd interest he has with these mirrors. I can't explain too much about them except they're evil, I think. He's always staring at them and muttering under his breath as he walks away. I hate to think he's planning something.
I'm beginning to think maybe I should befriend him more. We've been awfully nasty to each other for a while now and I know you may not agree with me being around him, Ron, but I think I have to. I'm not very happy about it either but so many people are relying on us. I think Hermione has noticed I've become withdrawn. I've just been doing a lot of thinking. That, and my lessons with Trelawney are an absolute disaster. That old bat can't teach me anything. She's hardly a Seer so all of her lessons are pointless. I haven't be able to See one thing and I'm frustrated. All of this training seems to really be falling through. I'm beginning to doubt everything. Maybe we aren't meant to save the world. At the moment, none of us are proving ourselves. It may just be the pressure though, I'm not sure. We need something extraordinary to happen though, maybe that would help us. I just wish I knew what it could be though....
Take care of yourself, Ron, and start crossing your fingers for us!

Ron threw the letter on top of the others, suddenly feeling even more depressed. So the training wasn't going well and his sister was having doubts about the whole thing. He couldn't believe she was even considering becoming friends with Malfoy. Ron was well aware of the trust factor and how it was the key to the Prophecy being fulfilled, but he had always hoped that maybe his friends might be able to get around it without getting involved with Ferret Boy. It seems his wishes would not come true though. And what the bloody hell did she mean by "mirrors"?

Ron then smiled mischievously. Ginny had said the four would need something "extraordinary" to happen to bring them closer together. He had a feeling Dumbledore's plan involving him and the three other students was not as foolish as he had originally thought. It might just be the thing to help unite the four destined "saviors of the world."

Ron grabbed the three letters, stuffed them back in their respective envelopes, and was about to stand, ready to head back into the castle, when a soft, dreamy voice floated toward him.

"Oh, hello, Ronald."

Ron stiffened and saw Luna Lovegood approaching him. He pretended not to hear her and busied himself with putting the fire out, keeping his back firmly toward her. She either didn't notice or didn't care, for she merely seated herself on the ground and stared at him with her large eyes. Luna's continued watchfulness and calm silence got to be so annoying Ron finally wheeled around to face her.

"Oh," he snapped, "I didn't see you there. What do you want?"

Luna turned her gaze away from the red moon, the sky growing darker and darker around it. She tilted her head and her blonde hair swept lazily off her shoulders. Ron gulped, trying to keep his face neutral. He could try and be angry as much as he wanted at Luna for coming between him and Lavender but, in all truth, he was glad the Ravenclaw had been the end of the relationship. Since he had kissed Luna in the Room of Requirement, she was almost all he could think about. At first, Ron had been disgusted by this, him falling for "Loony" Lovegood? But gradually, as he saw her more in the corridors and pondered on the kiss, he, very slowly, found himself falling for her. If anything, this made him slightly bitter and so naturally, he took his anger out on her.

"What do I want?" she repeated softly. "The real question is, Ronald, what do you want?"

Ron was taken aback by her question and stared at her in disbelief, his jaw hanging open.

"That look is quite unbecoming of you," she stated simply, pointing absentmindedly to his open mouth.

He snapped it shut and glared at her. "What do you mean, 'what do I want?'" he snorted. "I want you to leave me alone."

Luna turned her gaze again to the moon, which was now reflecting in the still lake. The color of red grew deeper, making the moon appear to be on fire. The sun was setting so brilliantly that all of its light was directing straight at the silver orb. The mesh of colors was extraordinary and rarely seen.

"How beautiful and odd," Luna whispered, more to herself than to Ron. "Silver and red, two completely different colors, one so fiery and one so calm. One bright and one subtle. Two opposite ends of the spectrum, yet somehow they co-exist, making for a truly spectacular sight among nature. It's funny how two opposites can so attract."

Ron was no longer looking at the moon though, and his piercing eyes were on Luna, whose large eyes were reflecting the moon. He had a feeling she was talking about more than the moon and how different the color combination was. Opposites truly could attract and for once, he found he couldn't agree with her more.

"You want to know what I want?" he said quietly, breaking the silence.

Luna turned and faced him, something unreadable glimmering in her eyes and yet she said nothing. She merely nodded, encouraging him to go on.

"I want," he paused and looked at Hogwarts, where lights were starting to glow in the windows, "I want to finally be understood, for someone to appreciate me more. I want to not be looked at as the younger brother to all the other Weasley's. I want to not be viewed as just the friend of Harry Potter. I want someone to really see me and take the time to know all of me."

Ron sighed and finally looked Luna straight in the eyes. "But I think, most of all, I want to finally find someone who is truly meant for me. I want to find my opposite."

Luna stood up and approached Ron. She put her finger under his chin and tilted his face up to look at her more closely. The dreamy exterior she so painstakingly put up around herself to hide the shy, vulnerable girl underneath, was starting to fade away under Ron's gaze and words.

Uncertainty filling her for one of the first times in her life, she bit her lip and said, "What are you trying to say, Ronald?"

Ron smiled nervously and then said simply, "I think, I want you."

There was a slight show of joy in Luna's face before Ron leaned forward and gently captured her lips with his. It was a very soft, sweet kiss, nothing like their quick, sudden kiss in the Room of Requirement. There was more behind this kiss and there were no barriers to stand before it. All of their obvious differences were pushed aside.

The two broke apart from their kiss and grinned shyly at each other. Ron rested his forehead lightly on Luna's, who closed her eyes and breathed in lightly.

"So, opposites attract, huh?" he said with a note of amusement in his voice. "A bit cliché, don't you think?"

"Oh," Luna replied airily, "I always believed in clichés."

"I bet you have," Ron muttered before leaning forward and kissing her again.

And the only witnesses to this second bond of trust and love, were the red moon high in the sky, and the wise old wizard, smiling knowingly from his study.

............................

"Is it ready, Wormtail?" The evil voice of Lord Voldemort hissed menacingly.

Wormtail flinched but held the large vial out in his shaky hand. "Y..yes, My Lord. It is ready."

Voldemort snatched the vial and peered at it with his red eyes, checking the content for any flaws. Seeming satisfied, he thrust the vial back at Wormtail, who placed it carefully in his cloak.

"Good," Voldemort whispered, "very good. And you made sure the last ingredient was correct?"

Wormtail squeaked and then nodded vigorously. "Yes, My Lord! Your spy made sure it was correct. They sent it to Lucius with a note saying they were positive and that nothing would go wrong."

Voldemort sneered in pleasure. "And you are quite sure the day is correct? The spy is sure that Dumbledore is gone that day?"

Wormtail simply nodded and Voldemort let an evil grin play on his features. "The plan is going exactly the way I want it to! Everything is perfect. Very soon now, I shall hold the Prophecy of Merlin in my hands and I will know the Key to my destruction! Then, the Four Heirs will not be able to stop me. I shall bring about their fall!"

He laughed loudly and Wormtail cowered to the floor. Voldemort glared at him and kicked his prone figure, making the balding man whimper and cringe even more.

"Get up, fool. You have work to do. Make sure the plan goes off well, I want no mistakes! Ah yes, and before you go, get the extra room ready for our honored guest. We do want him to be comfortable, I daresay!" Voldemort laughed again as Wormtail muttered, bowing to the floor and scurrying from the room to fulfill his orders.

Voldemort paid no attention though. His long, spider-like fingers traced the crude, ornate carvings on the desk and he smirked.

"Pity the poor fools who choose to fall in love. It is always their downfall."

Deep from within the woods, a lone werewolf echoed his sentiment with a mournful cry. It was calling to the full moon skimming the tops of the trees, the color a deep blood red.

...................

Author's Note: Finally! I got the next chapter up! I seem to be taking longer with posting these and I am truly sorry for that. I'm really taking my time with writing each chapter, a lot more serious, action-type stuff is going to be coming up, especially with the whole thing Voldemort has planned, *shudder*. A certain place is going to be making a reappearance from one of JKR's books. Can you guess where? Lol, sorry, I shouldn't tease you guys.

I'm sorry this chapter is a bit shorter than my other ones, I don't plan on length when I start typing, I just type what comes to me and this one stopped right here. I'm going to try to write chapter 18 a lot faster though so you may not have to wait too long! I really hope you enjoyed the chapter though. Yay! Ron and Luna are together! Only one more couple to go.....

So, please please review once more and I promise to get the next chapter up asap! I love you guys and I thank you for the continuous support and reviews!
Much Love,
PhoenixFirebolt