It was about a week after Harry and Draco left Hogwarts to face their destiny and the mood of the castle was tense with anticipation, no one really gave any real thought to classes or school anymore. The most devoted students were trying to finish their term projects that would decide their grade; among these students was Hermione Granger who was at the moment off in London gathering research.
After finishing Quidditch practice for the game against Ravenclaw next week Ron was bored, there never seemed to be anyone available to play a nice simple game of chess. Now that he thought about it where the hell was Harry he hadn't seem the guy in such a long time. He glanced around the Common Room as though expecting said person to appear before his eyes he only saw a few scatterings of students conversing quietly.
Sighing he looked over the parchment on the table in front of him, as Team Captain he needed to come up with new plays but so far he had nothing and he needed them for Thursday's practice. Finally giving up he threw his quill down which skittered across the table before coming to a rest beside a small package that was definitely not there before.
On top of the package was a folded letter that was simply addressed in Harry's familiar handwriting was the words: To Ron. Why would Harry be writing to him and be giving him stuff there was no special occasion. Shrugging he ripped open the letter and started to read:
Hey Ron,
By the time you read this I'll be gone, gone to face off against Voldemort and finally get rid of the stupid prophecy that Trelawney the fraud hung over my head before I was born. You're probably wondering why the heck I went without telling you and why you are just now hearing about this. Well you see the day I was saying my goodbyes you and Hermione were very busy and I couldn't find you so as a last attempt thing I guess this is my way of saying goodbye. I really don't know if I'll be back from wherever in the world I'm going but I want you to know one thing; You are and forever will be my brother and best friend, I want to thank you for all the things you and your family have done for me. But the most important thing is the fact that you know that you and Hermione are my best friends as well as family. Take care of Hermione for me and yourself.
Harry
Ron was shocked speechless, who wouldn't be after hearing that his best friend went off to war without him, he had promised Harry that he would always stand by him and the day the Final Confrontation came Ron had intended on standing right beside Harry and be the first to congratulate him on his victory. There were no words to explain what he felt right at that moment and as he held his head in his hands he happened to glance at the package that was sitting there innocently on the table, Ron didn't want to open it because in a way it acknowledged that Harry had gone off without him.
By now Gryffindors had come back from lunch and some were staring at Ron weirdly as they took in his position at the table, but the other DA members shooed them away they knew that Ron now knew Harry had left. The best thing they could do for him was to leave him alone and let him sort out the mixed feelings he had no one would really and truly understand what Ron was going through unless they themselves were part of the Golden Trio.
Two hours later Ron stood up gathering everything with the package dangling precariously from the stack of supplies that Ron had, he walked up the boy's staircase while knowing eyes followed his progress up the stairs.
Leaving everything in a heap on the floor he walked slowly toward Harry's bed, how could he have not noticed that something was off, it had taken him one whole week to see that his best friend was missing and said best friend was thanking him for all he had done for him. Ron felt guilty as he remembered all the intentional and unintentional horrible things he had done to Harry.
Taking in the sight of the neatly made bed he caught sight of the trunk that was pushed off to the side of the bed. Ron was struck with an idea, Harry might not be gone after all this could all be a joke that Harry was playing on him. Quite obviously Harry's trunk would still be the mess it was and opening it and checking would make this nightmare come to an end.
Edging toward the trunk Ron glanced at the door, no one was coming so he could open the trunk, lifting the latch that held the cover in place he raised the lid and there was the proof, the proof that Harry had gone without telling Ron. The neatly folded clothing, the Firebolt that Sirius had gifted to him, his parent's photo album, and the Marauder's map; it seemed at though they were mocking him, telling him that he had abandoned his best friend when he needed him the most and now look where that got him.
The pain that had been gathering at the pit of his stomach wretched itself out and grabbing the nearest object which were his schoolbooks he hurled it every which way in an effort to get rid of the empty feeling that was lodged in his stomach. Grabbing anything else that was lying around he threw it anywhere he just needed an outlet to get this out of his system, finally when there was nothing else he took his covers and threw them on the round while he lay on the bed. He stared blankly at the canopy of his bed; he didn't know what to do now, without Harry it seemed like his life was empty where before it had been full with all the adventures, problems, and Voldemort.
There was nothing he could do now except for hope that his best friend would come back safe and unharmed, with none the worse for wear. He didn't dare contemplate the what-if scenario of what if Harry never returned. Before his mind was allowed to continue on that morbid track he shut his eyes tight and muffled his screams of pain in his pillow which would take the brunt force of his pain, anger and sadness for the next couple of weeks.
By now the Gryffindors in the Common Room were starting to become anxious at the lack of sounds coming from the dorm so Neville tiptoed up the stairs to have a look, just to make sure that Ron didn't do anything irrational as he was prone to doing. Silently opening the door he spied the limp form of Ron lying on the bed, with the dorm looking like a disaster area with his covers scattered on the floor around him. Quickly walking down the stairs he shook his head at the inquiring faces and everyone went back to work though occasionally glancing at the boy's dorm.
Two days later Hermione was back from her expedition at the Ministry, but she had arrived on the day of an impromptu Hogsmeade visit, so the castle was mostly quiet as most of the students had been sent to Hogsmeade.
Hermione barely noted the lack of students in the castle she was too wrapped up in the research that she had brought back with her that required almost all her attention. Before she knew it she was standing outside the portrait of the Fat Lady. Half-mumbling the password she stumbled into the Common Room, without glancing up she walked straight to a table to deposit her things.
Finally waking from her work-induced trance she started to walk up the stairs when a voice made her almost jump out of her skin, "Hello Hermione" Turning toward the windows she saw the silhouette of her boyfriend against the afternoon sunlight. Running toward him she hugged him tightly but as she pulled back she hit him lightly on the chest, "hi Ron but you know that was mean to sneak up on me when you know I'm not paying attention…"
She trailed off as she looked into the glassy blue eyes of Ron, there was something in his eyes that looked out of place on his face but she could've sworn that she had seen that look many times before. The fixed look on her face was starting to unnerve her, she shook him lightly, "RON WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
For a moment it looked as though Ron didn't know where he was, but he shook his head to clear the cobwebs then grabbed her hands and asked her, in her opinion a very random and odd question. With a shaking voice he asked her, "Did he leave you anything." Without knowing what he was asking her she shook her head though not of her own accord, her eyes must have betrayed her inner turmoil because he immediately told her about the prank that Fred and George did last week when they came back to visit the school.
Hermione filed the incident to the back of her mind and let herself relax with her boyfriend, and she completely forgot to ask Ron where was Harry, but every time she thought about it she got a horrible sinking feeling so in an effort not to feel like that she pushed the question away to be asked some other day.
When the Gryffindors filed back into the Common Room they were very surprised to see Ron and Hermione sitting on the couch like old times, at least that was until Ginny caught her brother staring at Hermione with a look of sorrow. Which disappeared as soon as Hermione turned back to face him he pasted on a smile, Ginny nodded knowingly and signaled Neville to organize another DA meeting to explain the situation.
Even without her reminder Neville remembered to keep Ron and Hermione's out of the know, Harry made them promise to not tell Ron and Hermione and keep it they will. After all the entire school had kept the secret that Harry loved Hermione and was heartbroken at having to push the love of his life into the waiting arms of his best friend. Everyone from teachers to students, from Gryffindor to Slytherin couldn't believe how blind Ron and Hermione were.
Everyone saw the anguish on Harry's face every time Ron dragged Hermione off to another snog session; they all saw the inner torment that plagued Harry the last few weeks before he had to leave. And the resignation on the last day as he finally got it through his head that he might die without telling Hermione that he loved her. But there was nothing they could do all except console Harry when he was willing to let them see however inadvertently.
At precisely ten-thirty that night the Room of Requirement was full to capacity as everyone waited with bated breath to see what was happening now to the soap opera that was the Golden Trio. In their haste to organize the meeting the organizers didn't put a filtering spell on the room allowing people who knew how to cancel the silencing spell to listen in on the conversation taking place.
The Gryffindors walked in soon after everyone had gathered; when they arrived the room was silent waiting for any news good or bad to end this waiting for news. To no one's surprise Ginny Weasley walked to the podium that the Room had provided.
Hello everyone I'm glad all of you could make it to this meeting on such short notice. I know that everyone including myself is tired of waiting for news, well I have news from an owl that Harry and Draco sent to me today. It doesn't give much just the fact that they're still alive but they can't tell us where they are for fear the owl may be intercepted.
That's the end and now for more news on the Ron, Hermione, and Harry front; I know that Ron's recent mood swings are confusing everyone but I happen know the whole story because I got it out of Harry himself. The plan was this:
When Harry got called away and he couldn't himself get to tell Ron and Hermione he would leave them letters and a package, now I have no idea what's in the packages but they must be something very dear to the Trio
The letters were to only be found by its recipient at places that he was sure they would go, you begin to understand when I tell you that Ron had found his letter and his package and that was why he flew in such a rage that day
My guess is that Hermione still has not found her letter and package yet so she's still relatively normal, so we are not under any circumstances whatsoever tell her about any of this until everyone knows
And now for the last item of business I don't think Harry will come back alive because he has no real anchor to this world, I mean he has no real blood family who will accept him, his link to his best friends is frayed because the Trio has been divided, and the girl that Harry loves is in love and going out with someone else. Everyday I hope and pray that Harry will come back safe and sound, but on the other hand he will have to come back and face his own personal hell. I keep remembering Harry tell me that it might be better off for everyone that he not come back.
Ginny at this point broke down into tears along with the rest of the DA, they and almost all of Hogwarts understood Harry's devotion to the girl he loved and the devastation he faced every single day as he watched some other guy go out with the girl he loved. In a shaky voice Neville got up and dismissed the DA and with red eyes everyone walked out the door, no one noticed the slouched form of the girl sitting in the shadows across from the Room with his wand on the floor pointing toward the doorway.
Everyone made it back to their respective common rooms without an encounter from Filch, as the hour grew later the Common Room slowly emptied out until the only sound was the soft crackling and snapping of the fire. Slowly the portrait door creaked open and a dark form walked into the Common Room, in her hands was a huge pile of books, setting her books aside she selected a particular one and sat down on an armchair where she flipped the book open.
The book shimmered a bit before it faded away and a small package and a letter lay on her lap where the book had been, the girl not seemingly surprised gingerly handled the letter where it simply said, To Hermione.
Without opening it she knew it was what Ginny had been talking about earlier, but even if she hadn't overheard the meeting she recognized the handwriting and the familiar pit in her stomach came about as always when Harry was in trouble. Even so her hands deftly slit the letter open and she started to read.
Dear Hermione,
By the time you read this I'll have gone already to face off Voldemort and end this stupid war that takes many people's lives everyday. All because of a stupid prophecy that Trelawney the fraud told before I was born. You're probably reading this, days after I left and I have one thing to say, you can't follow me under any condition whatsoever because you can get killed and if you do Ron will never forgive me. I want to tell you this in case I don't come back which is actually most likely the case, Thank you for being my friend I know that recently we haven't seen much of each other because you're going out with Ron but we are always and forever friends. I guess I understand that as time goes on people change and grow apart, I understand you have so much to live for and going with me will only kill you. This is the reason why I didn't tell you and Ron in person that I was leaving, the others I told only minutes before I left I don't want any one else's blood on my hands and you guys are the closest I have to family. Well that's all I have one more request of you take care of Ron and yourself I mean with me gone you two will be the only ones left of the Golden Trio. Thanks for being my friend Hermione.
Your friend,
Harry
With shaking hands Hermione set the letter down on the table before her and for the first time in a long time she started to cry, crying for Harry, all the people he left, all that he had to face and for the fact that before he left his best friends as good as abandoned him.
As she sat on the couch crying she felt a pair of arms wrap around her and from the smell of his soap she knew it could only be one person, she continued to stare at the fire and continued to cry silently when she had no more tears left a handkerchief was thrust into her hands. Wiping her eyes the two sat in silence and Hermione traced the tiny initials RBW for a while before she finally asked,
H: Did you get yours yet?
R: Yea about a few days before you got back
H: What did yours say?
R: Well it basically said that he was sorry for not telling me but he's gone and thanks for being a good friend and to take care of you, you?
H: Mine said basically said the same thing but he added he understood that the two of us were pulling away from him because we had stuff to live for and implying that he didn't
R: What?! Of course he does I mean he has us, the rest of his friends, school…
H: You see that's exactly it he doesn't have a firm enough grounding to bring him back and we haven't been the best of friends to him
R: Yes but we were going out…I guess I understand what you are saying he has no real ties to bring him back
H: But I also wanted to go with him to make sure that he would get out of this alive, I mean he has wished for Voldemort to be gone and live a normal life
R: Hermione face it he's Harry-Bloody-Potter that by itself equals adventure and excitement
H: But at least he would be able to live without some psycho running around trying to kill him
R: I guess I understand what you're saying I'm mean I want to know exactly what's going on and help him, and here he goes leaving us behind, and to think I used to resent him for having so much stuff that I didn't
H: Yea…
R: Well there isn't anything for us to do until he gets back
H: Ron actually there is one thing…I think we should take a break from each other
R:<sigh> I was wondering when this would be…I guess this wasn't the best of times to go out and pretend everything was normal, not when it could lose us a best friend
H: So we're still friends right?
R: of course, friends to the end
The conversation faded out at this point and both stared pensively at the fire till they finally nodded off where in the morning they were found by Ginny and Neville who levitated them back to their respective dorms. The two shared a glance at the tear-streaked letter and the unopened package that lay on the table but it was banished back to Hermione's dorm.
The first indication that it was late in the day was the sunlight almost shining directly into her eyes, when she finally couldn't deal with it anymore she yawned hugely and got up. Where was she, the last memory she had last night was in the Common Room, at this thought she looked around for Harry's letter and there it was lying on her bedside table. She got up and got changed in anticipation for going through the rest of the day when she caught sight of the package that lay unopened next to the letter.
Stretching over she grabbed it and before she could analyze anything else she gingerly opened it as though expecting it to blow up in her face, which it just figuratively might. Inside all the wrapping paper was a plain white box which gave no indication as to what was inside, all around the edges was to her surprise scotch tape. Peeling each one off she took off the cover where lying in the bed of tissue paper was photo album.
Flipping it open to first page there was an inscription written in beautiful calligraphy, Dedicated to Ron and Hermione for their unwavering devotion, loyalty and friendship to me. The pages were full of pictures and writings to commemorate each year of their Hogwarts career. Looking through the album she relived and reminisced about each year and didn't notice the door open until one side of her bed sagged as the person sat down with his own album cradled in his arms.
The two stayed in the room for the rest of the day, even going to the point of calling Dobby from the kitchen to get them lunch and dinner. After going through six years of memories and the beginnings of the seventh they reached the end of the book. Placing the book down they were both lost in their own thoughts until Ron finally said, "I've never known another person like Harry and will never do so again. He made time when he was about to go away to make this for us and we ignored him and wasn't there for him like best friends should have but he still leaves us this to remember him by."
Hermione nodded and finally lost the battle against the overwhelming flood of tears, Ron hugged her tight not caring that her tears were soaking his shirt because he was crying too. He was crying for his friend Harry, a good guy who was dealt a bad hand to life, it was so unfair, to put a guy in Harry's place with a self-deprecating snort he remembered when he resented Harry now for the life of him he couldn't remember why, he was content being Ronald Weasley seventh of seven sons.
Hermione cried because it was so unfair that a person like Harry had to basically carry the weight of the world on his shoulders, she had wondered sometimes if he didn't collapse under all that weight. It reminded her of the story of the titan Atlas who in ancient mythology had to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders for all of eternity.
Now there was nothing they could do except wait and hope for the good news in the form of the arrival of their best friend who went off to face his destiny.
Downstairs the rest of the Gryffindors heaved a sigh of relief they didn't have to hide anything anymore and now they could concentrate their efforts in hoping and praying for Harry to come back alive and well.
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