A/N: Everything in Italics is what Ron is witnessing. While some moments between the events and Ron's `ghost' reality may overlap slightly, it should be easy to distinguish between the two. If anyone has difficulty understanding the parts where `Ron' sees Ron, please let me know so I can either explain or make a correction.
Thank you.
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Nothing Quite Like the Present
Ron's chin dropped to his chest, jerking him back into restless consciousness. Thoughts of Harry, Hermione, himself and Luna rolled round and round each other in his exhausted mind. Old memories entangled with new until he could no longer distinguish one from another.
There were truths he'd always known about Harry, things he'd never allowed himself to fully believe and now, now he was forced to accept them because he'd witnessed a few of them first hand. He needed time to process everything, to understand what the connection was between himself, Harry, Hermione, and Luna…he needed to do it when he was better rested. He yawned and fell over onto his side, instantly succumbing to sleep…and to dreams that ran one into another-
Baby Harry rolled over for his parents then stood, gagging until the golden snitch popped out of his mouth. Baby Harry had made his parents proud, hero Harry defied the odds and won again…much to Ron's chagrin, the Slytherin's stood in the background singing `Weasley is Our King' over and over again.
"No presents this year, boy!" became Harry opening a box of chocolate frogs from Hermione and Ron opening a box of Every Flavor Beans…`they mean every flavor' … "Eat crap, Ron" Hermione's voice laughed in his ear.
The Department of Mysteries … Hermione falling, Harry dropping to his knees. Ron lying on the ground, his head in Luna's lap. Harry gasping for air, unable to move, unable to think…
Hermione…dead.
He-Who-Must-Not-Be named…an article, a headline-
LORD VOLDEMORT DEFEATS HARRY POTTER!
Ron awoke with a start, drenched in sweat. He gasped as he tried to suck in air through constricted lungs. "Hermione!"
He jumped out of bed and ran for the door, he had to know it was just a dream, that Hermione was all right, that Voldemort had not defeated Harry, it had all seemed so … real.
"She's fine," an unfamiliar voice said from behind him just as he grasped the handle. "Nothing's changed."
Ron shrieked and jumped away from the door, whirling around to face the man who stood in the middle of his room, staring solemnly at him through vacuous eyes. "Whaddayawant?" he asked hastily on a frightened breath.
"I'm here to show you the present, Mr. Weasley," the man said in an even, emotionless tone. "Do you know who I am?"
Ron narrowed his eyes and openly stared, shaking his head as he tried to put a name to the face before him. "Not sure," he said finally. "But I think so. Or, well, I know I should anyway…"
"Come," the man said, "we've not much time."
Ron stepped forward apprehensively. "So, who are you?" he asked in an uneasy timbre. "And where are we going?"
"I'm Luna's father," he quietly replied. "I'm here to show you the present. We have a few destinations ahead of us. We must get going. Hold onto my arm."
Mr. Lovegood spoke with so little emotion that Ron almost felt a need to do nothing more than talk to the man, to get to know him. He wanted to understand what it was that made him appear so different from Luna when it was his influence she'd grown up with; had he always been so detached, or was it death that had left him that way? His eyes appeared hollow, lifeless. Although he couldn't see it in his face, and for reasons that Ron couldn't quite understand, he could swear that the man's pain suddenly furled in the pit of his own stomach; without thought, he pressed his hand against his abdomen in an attempt to ease the ache.
He wasn't sure what he was feeling, but the tension behind his hand was building and he needed some sort of release, he needed to know something- anything- he needed to speak…to question. "What do you know of Harry's life?" he asked abruptly and quite obviously without thought.
Mr. Lovegood looked up into Ron's eyes and without so much as a blink, he sagely replied, "Are you truly not aware that there is life beyond Harry Potter?"
The tension in Ron's stomach evaporated in an instant and he felt his temper rising. "Come again?" he snapped, cocking his head to the side and dramatically cupping his hand around his ear.
"I am saying that there is life beyond Harry Potter," Mr. Lovegood said simply. "And that if you spent less time trying to compete with the imaginary foe you've somehow managed to turn Mr. Potter into, then you'd find that there is a life which exists outside the realm of your own insecurities. It's quite simple, really," he added. "Not at all difficult to understand if you make the slightest effort, I can assure you."
Ron opened his mouth to argue, only to discover that his powers of speech had momentarily evaded him. Finally, he stepped forward and grabbed hold of Mr. Lovegood's arm. They were instantly transported somewhere Ron had never seen before. "What is this place?" he asked quietly as he looked around.
Mr. Lovegood pointed to a lone figure sitting cross-legged atop a stone wall.
Ron narrowed his eyes and cautiously stepped forward until he was close enough to hear the figure crying. He turned to look at Mr. Lovegood as if to ask, "What's this?"
"She cannot hear you," he said, his voice resonating in the eerie silence. "Just listen."
Ron stepped forward and sat on the wall next to her. He stared at her for a moment then followed her steady gaze to where a headstone stood above a newly laid grave. Ron looked from Luna to the headstone and could just make out the words `Loving Father' through the tears that pooled in his eyes.
Her cries were soft, barely audible even in the almost deafening silence of the early evening. Ron slid off the wall and stood between Luna and her father's grave to get a better look at her. The bottle cap necklace she wore was twisted around her fingers and her face was red and splotchy from the pain of loss, and a thousand tears.
Ron looked up at Mr. Lovegood, who had walked to a nearby tree and turned his back. The pain in Ron's stomach returned tri-fold and he walked over to the older gentleman and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Why are we here?" he asked softly. "This is obviously painful for you."
Mr. Lovegood turned to face his daughter and jerked his head in her direction. "Just listen."
Ron refocused his attention on Luna and could just make out that she was speaking. He slowly moved forward to hear her…
"…scared."
Scared? Ron wondered. What would she be scared of?
"…lonely, daddy," Luna said softly. She uncrossed her legs and slid off the wall to sit beside his grave. She put her hand on his headstone and rested her head against it. "Can you keep a secret, daddy?" she asked with a light, hollow-sounding laugh that sent shivers through Ron's spine as he sat down beside her. "I think I love someone," she whispered. She looked around to be sure no one was nearby and her eyes seemed to lock on Ron's for the briefest of moments. His eyes widened and he turned again to Mr. Lovegood, who shook his head in answer to Ron's silent question of, "Can she see me?"
Luna sighed and sat up, her fingers instantly toying with the dirt in front of her. "I don't even know why, or how, it happened. I don't even know if it's true. I've never been in love before and there's no one I can talk to anymore, daddy…now that you're gone."
Ron felt an unexpected surge of emotion that he'd only felt with regard to one other person…Hermione. He wasn't sure what to make of it so he took a few deep breaths and tried to push it down so he could hear everything Luna had to say.
"How do you know, daddy?" she asked as she tossed a handful of dirt back onto the mound and scooped up another. "Is there something I'm supposed to look for? I'm at a loss here and I really wish you were here to talk to me." She sighed and closed her eyes. "He calls me Loony sometimes or, he used to anyway. It's been a while since he's done it, I should thank him for that. I don't think he's even taken notice of me, not really…definitely not as anything more than just a friend. I get the impression he thinks he's in love with someone else and, well, maybe he is," she shrugged. "It's certainly possible, I suppose. But I don't think they're good for each other. They fight all the time and daddy, it's not the kind of fighting like you and mother used to do. Their fights are silly most of the time, but their words cut deep. Sometimes I think it's more a contest to see which of them can hurt the other the most, than it is an argument with any true purpose. But he's not like that with me…nor I with him. He's the first boy I ever wanted to spend time with. The only one I've ever really wanted to know. The only one I ever hoped would take the time to get to know the real me. Maybe it's not love, but I think it could be…for both of us." She raised her eyes to the heavens and quietly asked, "Daddy, can you give me a sign? I need you."
Ron sat, staring at Luna in silent wonder. He'd never seen her look so serious and yet be so much herself. For a moment he thought he could sit there all day, just watching her. She fascinated him. He thought for a moment that it might just be possible to drown in the depth he'd seen in her eyes when she'd looked through him only minutes before.
He started when he felt a hand fall on his shoulder. He looked up into the shining eyes of Mr. Lovegood and a longing to simply hold Luna took hold of his heart. Knowing that she wouldn't feel him but needing to do it anyway, he moved closer to her and placed his hand against the side of her face, he leaned forward until his lips brushed against her hair. "I'm sorry, Luna," he whispered. "I'm sorry for your pain."
Luna closed her eyes and smiled softly as she turned her face to the heavens. "Thank you, daddy," she said as she felt the caress of a gentle breeze as it brushed against her cheek and hair.
"It's time to go," Mr. Lovegood said, breaking Ron from the spell Luna had unknowingly cast over him.
Slowly Ron stood, his eyes never leaving the form of the girl who now lay in the grass beside her father's grave, her gray eyes shining as she stared off into seemingly nowhere.
"Come," Mr. Lovegood said, grabbing Ron's arm and apparating them away.
"Why did you take me there?" Ron asked the second they landed. "Who was she talking about? Why was she so scared? Who is she in…" he stopped himself mid-sentence when he realized he probably didn't want to know the answer to who it was that Luna loved.
"You will know in due time if you do not forget what you have seen."
Ron looked around, hoping to see another image of Luna. What he saw instead made even the ends of his hair crackle with unmitigated fury.
"…still can't believe it!" Lavender laughed. "Two years…"
"Do you have any idea what you've done?" Parvati seethed. "Why is it so difficult for you to comprehend the magnitude of your little joke? I know you're not stupid, Lavender, but-"
Ron stood open-mouthed, gaping at the anger in Parvati Patil's voice and the look of sheer loathing on her normally soft, beautiful face.
"Oh, Parvati," Lavender clucked. "Lighten up. It was only Ron."
Parvati whirled around and pointed an angry finger at her best friend. "Dammit, Lav!" she shouted. "How can you not see it?" She slammed her hands down on a nearby table and lowered her head. "Your jealousy of Hermione has blinded you and you need to open your eyes and get over it."
Lavender crossed her arms defensively. "I'm not jealous of Hermione," she said petulantly.
Parvati raised her head and narrowed her eyes to study Lavender. "I'm your best friend, remember?" she said in a dangerously low voice. "I know you had a thing for Harry. And that you used Ron to get in the way of whatever Harry and Hermione might've had." She closed her eyes and took a deep, calming breath. "Do you remember what she told us? That night she came into the dorm so upset, more upset than we'd ever seen her…do you remember her words?"
Lavender shrugged her shoulders and lowered her eyes to avoid meeting Parvati's. "She was always coming in upset. How'm I supposed to remember which time you're talking about?"
"She said that love was the power Harry needed to defeat You-Know-Who," Parvati replied, cutting straight to the heart of the matter. "She was scared that Harry would never find it. Do you remember that?"
Lavender shrugged again. "I guess," she muttered. "But Harry had Ginny not long after that and," she raised her eyes to finally meet Parvati's, "he could've had me anytime he wanted," she added, raising her eyebrows suggestively.
"Love and sex are two entirely different things, Lavender," Parvati replied bitingly. "He didn't have love with Ginny, you know that as well as I do…as well as Hermione did. There's only one girl that boy will find love with…and YOU'VE stolen his chances!" she shouted accusingly.
"I've not done a thing," Lavender huffed. "What I said to Ron was for his own good. It had nothing to do with keeping Harry and Hermione apart. Besides, what idiot actually sits around for two years pining for some girl who's so obviously in love with another guy?"
Parvati took another deep breath. "You have Ron so wound up that Harry and Hermione spend most of their time trying to keep him from uncoiling and rounding on all of `em. You used your skills at divination to give Ron false hope and to coerce him into believing he had a future with Hermione. Harry would never stand in the way if he thought Ron fancied Hermione." She looked up, her eyes shining with scarcely controlled rage. "And you knew that," she said in a dead-calm voice that sent shivers through even Ron's spine. "What if there's someone else out there for Ron? What if Harry can't defeat You-Know-Who because what he feels inside isn't strong enough to make it happen? Your little revenge game with Ron could, potentially, destroy our world." She whirled around and walked to the door where she paused and turned. "And you don't even care, do you?"
For the first time since he'd entered the room, Ron saw a momentary flash of regret cross Lavender's face and he found himself leaning forward in anticipation of her answer.
"Of course I do," Lavender admitted on a whisper. "I love this world as much as anybody."
"But you're willing to let a stupid little comment, made in a fit of anger, destroy it all?" Parvati asked. "What are you going to do when we all become slaves of You-Know-Who and his death eaters? You're the only one who can make it right, Lavender. The rest of us have tried, and Ron's not listening. He shuts us out before we can even begin and if he doesn't back off Hermione, that might just mean the end of our world as we know it."
Without another word Parvati exited the room and Ron took a menacing step toward Lavender. "You bitch!" he shouted from less than an arm's length away. When she didn't flinch he yelled louder and reached for her arm, his hand going right through her. "Damn it!"
He turned to Mr. Lovegood in exasperation. "Can you make me visible to her?" he demanded. "I can't…" he shook his head hard and attempted a calming breath. "I need to talk to her."
Mr. Lovegood shook his head solemnly. "The important thing to remember here is that you now know the truth. What you do with that truth now rests solely in your hands."
"How could I have fallen for that so easily?" he asked, redirecting some of his anger onto himself.
"Miss Brown is a very gifted witch in the art of Divination," Mr. Lovegood replied. "She is also quite a talented performer from what I gather. I have no doubt that there was little reason at that time, to question the accuracy of her claims."
"I've held onto that belief for two years," he said, shaking his head in self-reproach. "She's right," he looked up at where Lavender stood, "Lavender's right…what kind of idiot sits around for two years pining for some girl who's…." He stopped short and shook his head in shock. "Bloody hell…" he said on a breath. "Hermione's in love with someone else?" he staggered slightly backward and Mr. Lovegood put a steadying hand on his back. "I don't…" he inhaled a shaky breath, "can't…" he looked up at Mr. Lovegood, "are we done here?" he asked in a strained voice.
Mr. Lovegood nodded and grasped Ron's arm, apparating them away. When they arrived at their next destination, Ron looked around miserably and rolled his eyes toward the ceiling.
All around them his family and friends were gathered. There had been a meeting of the Order that night, and most members had already gone. Those left behind were trying to lighten things up and make the most of the time they had together.
Harry was sitting on the end of the couch, Hermione's leg resting against his arm where it was folded beneath her from her place on the arm next to him. Neither of them seemed to take the slightest notice as to their proximity to one another as they talked animatedly with each other and those around them.
Ron looked at himself where he sat across from Harry and Hermione, and was taken aback by the way his eyes had narrowed and his chin had set in anger. He followed his own gaze to where it rested on his two best friends. "Could I have been more obvious?" he beseeched himself incredulously.
"Apparently not," Mr. Lovegood said, coming round from behind Ron. "Look around."
Ron turned his red-tinged face toward Mr. Lovegood. "Do I have to?" he asked wryly. "Scares me to think I could feel any more stupid than I already do."
For the first time, Mr. Lovegood laughed. "Take a look," he said, nodding his head in the general direction of the group.
Ron nodded reluctantly and turned around to survey his family and friends. The twins were being…the twins. Ginny was talking to Neville, his parents were talking to each other and Bill and Charlie. Luna was sitting quietly by herself studying him, Harry and Hermione were…
His eyes darted back to Luna and he watched her watch him for several seconds.
Her eyes followed the path of Ron's gaze and rested on Harry and Hermione. She smiled politely but said nothing when they looked up and caught her eye. She leaned back against the cushion of the sofa she was sitting on and closed her eyes. Ron remained oblivious to it all.
"Look at her, damn it!" `ghost' Ron whispered fiercely. "Can't you see her there?"
Ron's temper flared hotter when Hermione's voice got louder and she began to address the entire group…
"Can I have your attention?" she called out. "Just for a moment, please. Thanks."
"It's Christmas time and as you all know, we've had very little reason to celebrate this year. Voldemort has yet to be defeated, times like this, with friends and family, are few and far between, and some of us," she turned saddened eyes to Luna for a brief second, "have already lost loved ones. I thought it might be nice to take a little time to say what it is we're thankful for. I'm sure I don't take nearly enough time to think about that but I believe it's important to give not only thought, but to give voice to our thanks, as well."
"That's a wonderful idea, dear," Mrs. Weasley said. "Why don't you start?"
Hermione looked around the room for confirmation. "Go on, then," George called out.
"We haven't got all night there, Hermione," Fred said picking up, as he always did, where George left off.
"'specially if she's grateful for Harry, uh?" George said in an exaggerated whisper, with a wink and an elbow nudge to Fred's ribs.
Fred raised his eyebrows. "We'd be here all night," he said with a grin.
Hermione rolled her eyes as a few people laughed. "Ha ha, very funny," she retorted playfully.
Her voice was playful but the staining of her cheeks told Ron there was more to it than Hermione was letting on.
"But I am thankful for Harry," she began. She looked briefly at Ron before her eyes traveled around the room to each person sitting there. "I'm thankful for all of you…for this extended family that I have. I'm thankful for the way you've allowed me into your lives and given me a place to call home when I can't be home with my parents." She looked down at where Harry sat beside her. "And I am thankful for you. You give me a purpose in life and make me strive to be a better person. Thank you." Harry smiled softly up at her and reached for her hand to give it a quick squeeze. Hermione smiled back and returned her attention to the rest of the room. "Thank you all. I don't know what I'd do without you."
"Give us a story, Hermione," Fred shouted.
"You have to know something about that bloke the rest of us don't," George said with a finger pointed straight at Harry.
Harry put up his hands defensively. "She knows nothing," he laughed. He rolled his eyes exaggeratedly toward Hermione and lowered his voice. "Do you, Hermione?" he said in a low, teasingly menacing voice.
Hermione smiled and raised her eyebrows, her eyes shining playfully. "Maybe…" she teased, leaving her sentence open for speculation.
"Come on, Hermione," Ginny chimed in. "Tell us something."
"If anyone should have stories," Hermione retorted, her eyebrows now raised at Ginny.
Ginny's cheeks flamed red and she lowered her eyes. "None worth telling, I'm afraid," she said quietly.
Hermione put her hand on Harry's shoulder and squeezed it affectionately. "Always the hero, this one," she said with a chuckle. "There was the time when we were in the forest, just the two of us, with Grawp. Grawp didn't much comprehend our language at the time, and there were only a few words that he could say. He recognized me and made to reach for me when Harry here…" she paused and looked down at Harry and rubbed the top of his head.
Despite himself, Ron jumped when he heard his "Agh!" from across the room. He'd been so intent on watching the interaction between Harry and Hermione, that he'd completely forgotten his earlier outburst. He watched himself stand up, his jaw set in anger as he shook his head at the room in general before storming off. He watched himself leave and heard the sound of his bedroom door slamming shut behind him.
His stomach fell to his feet and he shook his head in disbelief. He wanted to believe that he wasn't that obvious…that stupid. But the fact remained, he was an idiot.
"There're people downstairs worried about you, wondering what in Merlin's name is wrong with you tonight. Luna was going spare when we headed up to find you."
Hermione's words echoed in his head and he turned to look at Luna. She was sitting up, staring unblinkingly at the stairs up which Ron had disappeared.
"You made him leave," she said, looking up accusingly at Hermione. "Both of you did," she added, shifting her gaze to Harry.
Hermione glanced at Harry questioningly before turning to Luna and shaking her head. "We didn't do anything, Luna," she said.
Everyone around the room was silent as they watched the exchange between the two women.
"He's upset with you," Luna said, her voice rising. "This isn't good." She shook her head and grasped the bottle cap necklace around her neck, twisting it with her fingers. "It's not good. Not good at all."
Hermione cast her eyes to Mrs. Weasley and the older woman stood and moved to sit beside Luna. "What is it, Luna, dear?" she asked in a soft, low voice.
Luna began to rock slowly back and forth. "Too much happening," she said, staring straight ahead, her eyes wide and unfocused. "His mind isn't where it should be. It's dangerous for him. The time is coming, and Ronald is focusing on the wrong things. He has to let go." Her eyes flashed to Harry's. "You'll never do it, otherwise," she whispered earnestly. "Something has to be done."
Hermione stood from the couch and put her hand on Luna's shoulder. "We'll go check on him, Luna." Harry stood just behind Hermione and she turned grab his arm. "Let's go."
Luna had always been eccentric and a little spacey, but seeing her so serious and concerned for him shook Ron to his core. He shivered as he watched her. He could feel her pain…her fear. His stomach clenched and he stepped forward to comfort her.
He stopped short when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "She won't know you're there," Mr. Lovegood said quietly. "You've got a lot to think about, and your night is not over yet. It's time for us to go." He grasped Ron's arm, and without another word, Ron was apparated to his bedroom where he immediately crumpled to the floor with images of Luna, Lavender, Harry and Hermione, and himself swimming in his head.
"Future," he sighed. "Future is coming." He felt the pressure of his tears begin to build. He wasn't sure how much more he could take…but he knew it didn't matter. Very soon, future would be there and he would be forced to add to his ever-growing store of new, unsolicited memories.
…and he still had to sort through it all to find answers to problems that he hadn't, until that evening, realized existed.
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