A/N: Hello to everyone again. Firstly a belated Happy New Year to everybody. I'm back after my examinations. I was really out of practice so this chapter won't be very good. It really took a big effort to get back to writing. I never knew it would be so difficult. For the first couple of days I could barely write. Ron's fans will like this chapter. As promised before his positive side comes out here. Thank you to all the reviewers of the previous chapter. Any question you have can be asked in the review. Please review this chapter as I need to know how well I'm doing after a long layoff. Happy Reading!!
Chapter Eleven: Second Chance
Ron had a quiet Christmas but liked it all the same. His mother's cooking always made his stays at home worthwhile. Since his father's promotion in the ministry their financial situation had improved. Fred and George's profits from the joke shop also helped. His time at home was better than Hogwarts in many ways. He wasn't as lonely as he was at Hogwarts. Ginny had not mentioned anything about his misdeeds to anyone. So the other members of the family treated him normally, not noticing the cold attitude of Ginny. Fred and George were their usual goofy selves. However he missed the company of Luna. She had been his only bright spot over the past month. She had sent him a wonderful gift for Christmas. It was a Canon's quidditch jersey which he had wanted for a long time. He was also happy to receive Harry's sweets and Hermione's quill set. At least they were showing signs of regaining normality. Today was New Year's Eve. Ron had just woken up when he saw Pigwidgeon with a letter attached to his leg. It was from Luna.
Dear Ron,
I hope you are enjoying the holidays. I wanted to thank you for the silver chain you sent me for Christmas. I wear it all the time and dad says it looks wonderful on me. It's the first time someone has given me something as nice as this.
You know, I never realized that our houses are very close. It's a shame you, me and Ginny never got to meet in the holidays during the past six years. I was wondering if you want that is, we could meet sometime. You would have heard about the muggle park called Anther's Park. It's about fifteen minutes from your place. We could meet there. Only if you want. I'll understand if you want to spend time with your family. Please send me a reply to finalize things.
With warm regards,
Luna.
Ron reread the letter again and again. He had been a fool not to have known this. The Lovegoods, about whom his dad always spoke were none other than Luna and her family. The prospects of meeting Luna alone, away from everybody scared him but he couldn't bear to hurt her sentiments. After all, she had done so much for him. So he sent back a positive reply.
Dear Luna,
It's certainly a good idea to meet. I'm getting bored being with the same people all the time. To make matters worse Ginny isn't talking to me. On the positive side everyone else in the family is treating me normally. Let's meet tomorrow after lunch, say at about two thirty.
Thanks for the jersey. I have always wanted this. My association with the Canons is… I wouldn't start on that. Anyway we'll talk more tomorrow.
Hope you are well.
Ron.
Next afternoon when Ron got to Anther's Park, Luna was already there. She smiled at him.
"Hi Luna, I hope I haven't kept you waiting for long," said Ron, briefly hugging her.
"Not at all, I've just got here. Let's sit down," replied Luna. Both of them sat down on a bench. This park seemed to be a paradise for muggle couples. There were plenty of couples snogging away, oblivious to what was going on around them. However neither of them felt uncomfortable because of this.
"So how are things with you?" asked Ron.
"I've been fine. Dad and I have enjoyed being together. It's the first time we've been able to enjoy Christmas. The credit for that goes to Harry, for killing V-Voldemort. Speaking of Harry, any progress on your scene with him and Hermione?" said Luna.
"Well both of them sent me gifts for Christmas. So did I. I guess that's a start," replied Ron.
"Yes that's definitely a start. I'm sure things will be okay for you once you get back to Hogwarts. Remember I'm with you," said Luna comfortingly. Ron noticed she was gently stroking the chain he had given her. One odd thing about her was that she was still wearing her butterbear cork necklace.
"Thanks Luna for your kindness. If you don't mind could I ask what the significance of that butterbear cork necklace is? I mean… it must be very important for you since you always wear it," asked Ron, trying not to sound rude. He was just curious.
"You are the first person who has taken a normal view of this. I must look mad wearing this but yes; it is of great importance to me. When I was young, I saw some pictures of beautiful women wearing necklaces. I wanted one for myself. At that time my family wasn't financially well off. So my mother made this for me. I was elated. When my mother passed away, I wanted something to remember her by, to always be with me. It's difficult to carry photographs. So I chose this. People are welcome to think what they want of me but I'm going to wear this forever," she said with a touch of emotion. Ron gently touched the back of her palm.
"I never knew this Luna. I feel like killing every soul that has ever teased you about this. Don't worry anymore. I'll personally make sure nobody teases you about this anymore. If they do, they'll have to answer me," said Ron. Luna smiled in appreciation.
"I don't blame anyone for teasing me. To an outsider it would look like craziness. You are the first person to whom I've told this," said Luna. They talked for a couple of hours before separating. They had decided to meet again after two days.
On the decided day and time Ron was waiting for Luna in the park. It was ten minutes late but Ron waited patiently. Ten turned to fifteen and then twenty. In normal circumstances Ron would have got angry and walked away. But in this case he felt worried. He started walking towards Luna's house. Though he didn't know the address he had a brief idea where it would be.
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To make sure of not being late Luna started from her house on time. She had been looking forward to meet Ron. Things were going very well between them. It looked that finally Ron was seeing her the way she wanted. He seemed to understand her better than anyone else. She was lost in these thoughts. Just as she had entered the muggle area things started happening. It was an empty road. Three tall boys were walking towards her. They looked about twenty.
"Hey there's a cute one," said one of the boys, pointing towards Luna. Luna looked stricken. Obviously these guys had evil intentions. There was nobody around to help her. One of the guys grabbed her arm.
"Don't touch me! What do you want?" shouted Luna hoping that somebody would hear her. Two of the boys merely laughed but the third looked slightly concerned.
"Don't be so reckless you idiots. Gag her first. Anyone can hear her screams. And don't stand in the middle of the road. Move into that plot. It is uninhabited. The walls will act as good cover," he said, gagging Luna with his hanky. Luna was now in tears. There was no way out of this. The guys dragged her into the empty plot. She couldn't shout or resist. She tried to wriggle but was slapped hard across the face. She wished she was carrying her wand. Her top was torn from the entire scuffle. She was prepared for the worst when she saw the guy in front of her collapse to the floor.
He had been boxed on the ear by Ron. Luna watched in disbelieve. Ron's face was red with anger. The two other guys immediately tackled Ron to the floor. Luna watched in horror as punches and kicks were exchanged. Ron was fighting against two guys older than him but was doing remarkably well. Luna took the hanky from her mouth and tried to help go and help Ron.
"Luna you stay out of this!" Ron shouted. His nose was bleeding but he wouldn't stop fighting. Unfortunately the third guy had just got up and joined the fight. Despite his best efforts Ron couldn't manage three of them together. His face was repeatedly being punched. He was fighting a losing battle. One of the guys picked up a wooden stick and started hitting Ron's back with it. Ron could barely keep his eyes open. With one last effort he freed himself. This was an emergency situation. There was just one way out of this. He took out his wand.
"Expelliarmus!" he shouted. One guy was thrown back and hit the wall. The other two seemed stunned. Without even looking at Ron they darted. The third one followed. Ron sat down exhausted.
"Oh Ron! Are you alright?" asked Luna rushing to him. Her sweater had disappeared and her shirt was completely torn. But she didn't care.
"I'll be alright. We need to get medical attention. How far is your house from here?" said Ron.
"Ten minutes from here. But it'll help if you are in a condition to do side on apparation. I can't possibly walk like this," said Luna, trying to cover herself with her arms.
"I don't know side on apparation. I could apparate to your place and get your dad but I don't want to leave you alone. You wear my sweater, I'll manage with the shirt," replied Ron, handing his sweater to Luna. She took it gratefully. They started to walk. Ron was limping slightly due to his injuries. Suddenly Luna cried out.
"Oh no! My necklace is gone!" she wailed. Ron reached for his pocket.
"Here, a present for you. This is what led me to you. I saw it outside the empty plot and knew you would be inside. The string has snapped but I'm sure we can fix that," said Ron, handing the necklace to Luna. She kissed his cheek.
"Thank you Ron, for everything you did. I can't imagine what would have happened to me if you hadn't arrived," said Luna.
When they arrived at Luna's house, Arnold Lovegood was busy in his work. He looked up on hearing the door open. He stared in shock at the sight he saw.
"Nothing to worry dad. We are both alright but Ron needs some medical attention. I'll tell you everything later. Please arrange for a mediwizard first," said Luna urgently.
"Miss Marlow next door works at St. Mungos as a nurse. I'm sure she'll be able to help out," said Arnold before apparating. He returned in a couple of minutes with Miss Marlow. As she attended to Ron's injuries Arnold apparated to the Burrow to inform Ron's parents. Miss Marlow also checked Luna for any injuries but her problem was mental rather than physical. Arnold returned with Molly, Arthur and Ginny. Molly was extremely relieved to see Ron was okay. All of them sat down as Ron and Luna told their stories. Arnold was horrified.
"Dad, I used magic in muggle presence. I hope I won't get into trouble for that. It was an emergency. I didn't have a choice," said Ron in the end.
"I'll make sure you don't. I don't have enough words to thank you Ronald. Luna is all I have after Natalie passed away. You saved her. I'll be indebted to you all my life," said Arnold in a choked voice.
"That's okay Mr. Lovegood. It was a good thing I found Luna in time. Otherwise things could have been bad," replied Ron, embarrassed.
"That was really brave of you Ron. You won't get into any trouble. We have Luna as witness, if the ministry creates any problems," said Arthur, patting Ron on the back. Arnold made a mental note of publishing this whole episode in the Quibbler.
"It's getting late. We should make a move," said Molly, getting up. Arthur, Ginny and Ron followed. Arnold interrupted them.
"If you don't mind, can I have a word with Ron privately?" he asked, looking towards Molly and Arthur. They nodded. Ron and Arnold moved to one corner of the room.
"Ron I know you've done a lot but I would like to ask you for one more favor. This has been a really traumatic experience for Luna. I feel uncomfortable letting her out of the house alone. She is really fond of you. Could you come sometimes and spend time with her? You can have lunch with us if you want," said Arnold.
"I'll be glad to come. Thank you for the invitation. I'll owl her and confirm the exact dates," replied Ron, with a smile.
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Next morning when Ron was getting ready for breakfast somebody knocked on his door.
"Come in," said Ron. The door opened and Ginny walked in looking slightly uncomfortable.
"Er… Hi," said Ron awkwardly. He didn't know what to say to Ginny.
"Hi! Are your cuts and bruises better?" asked Ginny, quietly.
"Yes, they're much better. Miss Marlow did a wonderful job on them," replied Ron.
"Ron, I wanted to apologize for my behavior over the past month. I thought what you did was beyond repair. However after your heroics yesterday you've proved that there is still a lot of good in you," said Ginny.
"That's okay Ginny. What I did was horrible. I know I can't change what has already happened. The best I can do is to start fresh. Yesterday it made my blood boil to see those three guys forcing themselves on Luna. I'm glad I was about to help," replied Ron. Ginny rushed forward and hugged him.
"I'm so happy that we are back on talking terms. It felt odd not talking to you," she said.
"Same with me and thanks for not spilling the beans. That would have made life hell for me," said Ron finally. Both of them started to walk down for breakfast.
"Do you like Luna?" asked Ginny suddenly.
"After what I did with the others, I have no right to answer that question," replied Ron, firmly. His tone suggested that he was not going any further with this discussion. Ginny didn't question him anymore but made a mental note.
Ginny wasn't the first person to have raised this question. Ron had himself thought about this a couple of times but didn't dare to think too much. He had learnt from his past experience. Luna was probably the best thing that had happened to him during the last month and he wasn't willing to spoil it. Over the last few days of the holidays he visited her every alternate day. They spent their time talking, sometimes playing wizarding chess or Exploding Snap, going for walks within the wizard's area and of course eating. With every passing minute he felt as if he liked Luna more and more. But he kept this to himself. He needed somebody to talk to. Any other time the person would have been Harry. He hoped that after getting back to Hogwarts Harry would listen to him.
**** **** ****
"Mmmm… this feels so good," moaned Hermione as Harry kissed her neck. They were in the middle of a snog session which was gaining intensity with every second. However Hermione didn't feel a trace of awkwardness like she had felt with Ron. She guessed that Harry was the person she was meant to be with. Harry pulled away reluctantly.
"We should stop now or else we may reach the point of no return," he said. Hermione nodded in agreement. They decided to get some fresh air. Today was the last day of the holidays. The students would be coming back later in the evening.
"Harry! Hermione!" called a voice when they were heading down the stairs. It was Remus Lupin. "I thought you'd like to see this," he said handing them a magazine.
"Professor, since when do you read trashy magazines like the Quibbler?" asked Hermione incredulously.
"I normally don't read it though it is not as bad as you make it out to be. I saw this copy at Diagon Alley and bought it especially for you. You might be interested in its contents," Remus replied.
"I'm sorry Professor," said Hermione, ashamed of having reacted that way.
"That's okay," said Lupin before getting into his office. Harry opened the magazine and was greeted by the smiling face of Ron. Both of them started to read the article that followed.
COURAGEOUS TEENAGER SAVES THE DAY
By Matilda Stevens
On the fourth of January, seventeen year old Ronald Weasley, student of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry showed immense bravery to rescue his friend Luna Lovegood from three muggle youths, who were forcing themselves upon her. Ron and Luna had planed a meeting at Anther's Park. However Luna did not show up in time, so Ron got worried.
While Luna was on her way to the park, the three youths dragged her into an empty plot. There was nobody around to save her. They clearly had evil intentions. Luna was slapped a couple of times and the rough handling tore her top completely. Two boys had a vice like grip on her while the third one was planning his move.
"It was horrifying. I was scared but couldn't scream. I didn't know what to do. It was a helpless situation," says Luna. Meanwhile Ron, who had set out to find Luna, found her necklace outside the plot. He rushed inside and boxed one of the guys ears (the one who was not holding Luna). The other two guys immediately attacked Ron. A huge fight took place. Ron was just about managing to hold off two the two guys who were older than him. Unluckily for him the third guy recovered and the three of them together were able to overpower Ron. Ron was badly beaten up. Not having any option left, Ron decided to use magic. One disarming spell was all it took to scare the youths away.
"I didn't want to use magic but it was an emergency. I was managing well before the third guy entered the fight. Luna wanted to help but I stopped her. Girls should not get involved in physical fights as long as possible. I'm glad I was able to help Luna," said Ron, after the rescue. His injuries were nothing serious and were mended by Miss Marlow, who is a neighbor of the Lovegoods.
"I'm very grateful of Ron for saving Luna. She's all I have," said an emotional Arnold Lovegood, Luna's father and the editor of Quibbler. Ron's parents were very proud of their son.
"This shows what a nice person my son is. Bravery apart it required a heart like his to save somebody of such humiliation. We've traced the three youths and performed memory charms so that they don't remember the magic they saw," says Arthur Weasley, Ron's father who works at the ministry.
Harry and Hermione were amazed. To think Ron could be like this was unthinkable. They couldn't say anything for a long time.
"I can't believe this is the same Ron who cheated three girls at once," said Harry finally.
"I know. We should take him back as a part of our trio. He's suffered enough and now he's rectified his mistakes. So let's give him a chance," replied Hermione.
"Most Definitely! I'll speak to him as soon as he gets back" said Harry. Hermione totally agreed with him.
That evening Harry and Hermione waited patiently in the common room. When Ron walked in, he looked slightly nervous. Harry went near him and thumped him hard on the back.
"Quite a hero!" said Harry, jokingly.
"What do you mean….You know? How?" Ron asked confused. He was sure that Ginny hadn't written to Harry or Hermione.
"You are famous these days Ron," said Harry, handing him the Quibbler. Ron gaped at what he saw. He still didn't know what Harry thought of it. He seemed pleased though.
"Does this mean - I mean - are we okay?" asked Ron tentatively.
"All is forgiven. You've done enough to show that you are the same Ron as before and not the spirit which captured you a few months ago. Welcome back!" replied Harry with a smile. Hermione joined them and grinned at Ron.
"Thanks a lot both of you. It means a lot to me. I missed your company," said Ron happily. He noticed the Harry and Hermione's joined hands and smirked. "Is it what I think it is?" he asked playfully, though he already knew the answer.
"Yes it is. It happened on Christmas Day," replied Hermione.
"Congrats both of you! I saw it coming a long time. I'll just keep my stuff and come back," said Ron, walking up to the dorms.
"He took that well, didn't he?" said Hermione.
"That he did but I think a certain blonde is behind this transformation," replied Harry. Hermione gave him a knowing smile.
In the night Hermione had gone to bed early. Harry and Ron were in the Gryffindor common room. Harry briefed Ron about his and Hermione's getting together. Ron told him about the time he spent with Luna during the holidays. By his voice Harry knew his suspicions were right.
"You seem to have it really bad for Luna," commented Harry.
"I don't know. She's been there for me when I was alone. She helped me survive through that torrid period. I want to like her but my previous experience stops me. What if I hurt her like the others?" said Ron truthfully.
"What is different about Luna?" asked Harry.
"With Luna things have happened naturally. Both of us are ourselves when we are near one another. We don't have anything to prove to each other. We don't need to impress each other like couples normally do," replied Ron without hesitation.
"That's good. I think your feelings for her are real but that is for you to figure out, not me," said Harry.
"What if we get together and then things don't work out?" asked Ron.
"Then you have to be truthful and tell her. Going behind her back is not an option," replied Harry firmly.
"Thanks a lot Harry. It's so nice to have you as my friend again. I was afraid I'd blown everything up," said Ron.
"You nearly did but controlled the damage well," said Harry.