Disclaimer: These characters are not a product of my mind; JK Rowling takes proud responsibility for that!
Chapter 1
Letters
“Why are you here, Ronald?”
Ron Weasley stared at the girl in front of him. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“Things aren’t the way they were supposed to be,” he said. He’d been planning how to put this for a couple of hours.
“What?” the girl spat through her tears.
“You heard me loud and clear. Look,” he decided to change the subject when he noticed that the look on her face was still full of shock and fury and sadness. “One cup of coffee; nothing more. We haven’t seen each other in years. Let’s just go get a cup of tea or something and…err…catch up, I guess,”
“Catch up, you guess,” she let out an exasperated huff. “You guess you want us to…catch up,”
Ron nodded and offered her an innocent smile.
She shook her head hysterically. “Fine; one cup,”
“So, how have you been, Ron?” Hermione asked as she sat across from him at a small table in an unfamiliar coffee shop.
It wasn’t too busy, but just busy enough so that no one could hear them. Hermione was messing with the sticker from a price tag at the bottom of her glass of tea. It was obvious that this place was new. She didn’t look up when Ron answered.
“Fine,” Ron said, deciding that telling her the truth, which was that he had been miserable, would have been the wrong choice. “You?” he asked her.
She thought for a moment. She wanted to say that she had been lonely while living in a house of two; that she had been tired from taking care of more than just herself; that she had been dreading the day when he come back for her but at the same time she was surprised that it had taken him a little under two years. But she pushed these honest words to the back of her mind.
“Likewise,” she said.
Moments passed which turned into minutes. Too many thoughts were stirring in Hermione’s mind; too many memories.
“Why are you here, Ron?” she asked calmly as she looked up at him. They finally met eyes.
“Did you love him?” Ron asked with hurt dripping from each syllable.
“Who?” Hermione asked, confused.
“Harry,” Ron said.
Hermione screwed up her face. What exactly was Ron getting at?
“Excuse me!” Hermione shot.
Ron shook his head. “Not like that, ‘Mione. We grew up together. Did you love him like the brother you could tell anything to?” Ron explained.
Hermione felt the tears start to gather at her eyelids. “Yes,” she said.
“Me, too,” Ron whispered. “And Ginny?”
“Yes,” she said again.
This time, the tears fell freely. Hermione grabbed a napkin and wiped at her tears. It was no use, though, because the napkin was soaked before long. She looked up at Ron. He was holding his face in his hands with his elbows up on the table.
“Why are you doing this?” she whispered through her waterfall of tears.
“Because I had to know if I was the only one battling to stay alive,” he explained.
“Battling to not kill yourself?” Hermione asked.
“No, battling to not put myself out of my misery,” he said.
“No, you’re not the only one,”
“Then I must ask: why did you leave me? They left for good, ‘Mione! They died saving the lives of the rest of the world when they defeated Voldemort. And no sooner had they gone, had you left me, too,” Ron said, no longer hiding his own tearful face.
This was too much for Hermione and no matter how much she could try, he wouldn’t understand. She shook her head and gave Ron a look of pure despair. It had been more hurtful than she’d intended, but Ron brought back memories that Hermione had spent two years trying to forget. She got up and threw her coat around herself.
“You’re leaving me again. I knew you would. But before you do, take these,” Ron handed her two letters. “One is from Harry and one from Ginny. They always thought ahead. I found them in Harry’s desk. I’ve got two, as well. Don’t worry, I haven’t read yours. But know that I’m not going anywhere. I never have,” He watched a small tear run down her cheek and smiled as she didn’t bother to rid her face of it.
She took the letters without looking at him. She was too ashamed. She never had deserved him before, and she knew within her heart that she never would. She turned without a word and left the coffee shop, ironically walking out into the rain. Ron watched from his seat as she suddenly disappeared.
Ron reached into his pocket and took out his letter from Ginny. He had just found it yesterday, but there were crease marks and wrinkles from all of the times he’d read it. He opened it, once again and stared down at it.
The first time he’d read it, he had just been surprised that she’d known she would die. The second time over, he was just sad and depressed. The third time he cried and left smudges on the paper. The fourth and fifth times were just read-overs for him to take in the words that his sister was speaking to him before dieing. But the last few times, he had understood the beauty of each and every word. He had finally understood that this was Ginny, his only sister, speaking her heart out to him, knowing that she would pass, and not wanting to pass with these words unspoken. That was the time when he realized just how precious every moment is in life. And he also realized that everything Ginny had written had a meaning or purpose in his life; present or future. This time, he would read it to remember; he would read it to go back in time.
Ronald:
If you are reading this, I have passed away in the war. You are my brother and one of my best friends. I owe everything to you. As kids, us being the youngest of the bunch, we were always the closest. But then you left me the year you started at Hogwarts. I remember that summer right before you left; we made the best of it. We made a promise that you never broke.
Ron smiled as he read this part. He did remember that summer before his first year at Hogwarts. He remembered it more vividly than anyone could imagine.
(Flashback)
“Rawwwwwn!” 10-year-old Ginny put an emphasis on her brother’s name as she whined for him. “I NEED HELP!” she screamed.
11-year-old Ron came running toward Ginny. He lifted her from behind and put her on his shoulders. She giggled. Ron grunted.
“You’re getting fat,” he said as he tried to balance her.
She slapped his head. “Am not, you’re just getting weak!” she retorted.
He snorted. “Perlease!” he said sarcastically imitating the way she talked.
She laughed and hit his shoulder. He carefully placed her on the ground and helped her clean the dishes from breakfast.
“Mum?” Ginny asked as she noticed her mother enter the kitchen.
“Yes, Ginny, dear?” Mrs. Weasley asked.
“Why do we have to do this by hand? We never did this before.”
Mrs. Weasley smiled. “Because,” she said, “soon you will all be able to do magic and you will have never experienced the life without magic because you live in a magic household. I made Fred and George do it before they started at Hogwarts, Percy before them, and Bill and Charlie before him.”
Ginny rolled her eyes and Ron stifled a chuckle. The older she got, the more Ginny reminded him of their mother. But he would never tell her that because he didn’t want to be the victim of Ginny and her anger. They listened to their mother leave and then Ginny looked over at Ron.
“You’re leaving me,” Ginny said quietly.
“Ginny, it won’t be for long! Next year you’ll be with us,” Ron said.
“But you will have already made friends. You won’t remember me,” she said.
“Ginny,” Ron stopped drying the dishes and faced Ginny, “look at me. I will remember you. And I’ll miss you. I’m not leaving you forever; I promise,”
Ginny reached up and grabbed him into a big hug.
“Best always and forever?” Ginny asked.
Ron smiled. “Best,”
(End Flashback)
Ron smiled and continued to read the letter.
You never forgot me, brother. You led me to Harry. I owe you my life, for without you, I would have never met Harry. And without Harry, my point in life would have been nothing. Thank you, Ron. And thank you for never forgetting me and our promise. No matter what, in my heart, we will always be best, always and forever.
Hermione. You deserve her Ron, and she deserves you. Don’t let my death cause pain and suffering for the two of you. It will be hard, I know, but comfort each other. Get through it together. She will be going through something that I mustn’t speak about. All I can say is that she will need a helping hand and I have made it clear that I want you to be her hand. Help her, please my brother. She will explain when she is ready. All I ask is that you and her stick together. It took you so long to realize you loved each other, you have wasted much of your life together. Don’t waste more. Don’t be like me and Harry.
Harry. He is my life, Ron. From the day I saw him at King’s Cross and I didn’t even know he was Harry Potter then. You led him to me. Like I’ve said, for that I am eternally grateful. Please don’t forget him, Ron. He will need his two best friends. You are and have been for many years now, his best friend. He was so ecstatic the day you agreed to be the best man at our wedding. That day was the most beautiful day I have experienced in my life. I’m so happy you were a part of it.
Thank you, Ron, for more things than I can express. We are best, no matter what, always and forever. I love you so much. Never forget me, Ron. Keep your promise. And please, love Hermione with all of your heart. Fulfill a life with her that Harry and I only had months of. Fulfill it with years and years of memories and tears, pain and happiness, sorrow and joy. I love you Ron. Always and Forever.
Your Only Sister,
Ginny
Ginnerva Molly Weasley
Ron took out a tissue and wiped his tears away. He took a deep breath, folded the letter back up and placed it in his pocket, put some money on the table, and apparated back to his apartment down the way from the Burrow.
A/N: This story has been sitting at the back of my mind for a while now. I hope you like it, but tell me what you really think. I'm all for constructive critisism! Thanks for reading, now PLEASE review!!! Thanks so much!
Manda*
P.S. Much is to come!