“Hey, Hermione...Hermione!” Someone is shaking her shoulders. “You alright?” Harry’s intense green eyes are focused on her face. He sounds concerned. It takes her a moment to realize what has happened. It is just her mind playing cruel tricks on her. Ron isn’t here. In fact, she is still standing at the same spot she was standing at when she saw Harry, Ginny, Tonks, Lupin and Oris.
“Yeah, Harry. I’m fine,” she says, attempting a smile.
Lupin and Tonks are already standing right in front of Hermione. Behind them, Ron appears again. He stands some distance away. He begins to walk towards Hermione. The rays of the sun shine from behind Ron’s body, surrounding him with a golden-yellow aura.
“All of you ready?” Lupin asks, his wand out. They are now standing around a marble stone which is nearly buried beneath the snow. Everyone nods in silence. He waves his wand and tiny, colourful firecrackers erupt from it above the stone. When the firecrackers stop, Lupin conjures a small Christmas tree with ornaments and a silver star shining brightly at its top. He hands it to Oris.
He conjures a single stalk of rose and hands it to Hermione. The rose is thornless and its beautiful, soft petals are reddish-orange in hue.
Oris toddles and places the Christmas tree on the stone, which is barely visible from beneath the snow.
Then, it is Hermione’s turn. She motions for the rest to leave first. Ron, who has been silent all this while, is walking towards her. The scarlet butterflies encircle him now. Hermione turns to the marble stone, a tombstone, and pushes away the mounds of snow which conceal it.
‘Ronald Bilius Weasley
R.I.P
A wonderful young man who will remain in
our hearts forever,’
the writing on the marble tombstone says simply. Immediately, Hermione is transported in her mind’s eye to the war in the Wizarding world, which took place five years ago. Much of the battle she can’t remember, but there is one part which is still etched in her mind and will always stay there till the day she dies.
Many wizards, witches and Aurors were among those who were present to help Harry win the battle. She and Ron were fighting a few Death Eaters while Harry was dueling with Voldemort. At one point when Voldemort used the killing curse, Harry managed to dodge and the curse which was supposed to hit him in the chest hit him on the hand. It had only prolonged the time it took for the curse to kill Harry. Ron had seen what had happened to his friend, and, without even thinking, he immediately performed a complex charm with which he transferred his life force into Harry’s body.
“Go, Harry! Go!” he had said in a hoarse whisper. “The Wizarding world needs you.” Those were his last words. His eyes, then, were full of courage, strength and sadness all the same.
Crystal clear tears form a pool in her eyes. They begin to trickle down her cheek hotly. She wipes them away with a quick swipe of her mitted hands. She looks at Ron, who is walking towards her. His form is slowly turning translucent. The spear-like rays of the sun which penetrate his body are getting stronger. The outline of his figure is beginning to become thinner, as if it is dissolving into the morning air. It sparkles like fairy dust, and then Ron is gone.
“It’s true, Ron. Our loved ones don’t truly die. They live on in our hearts,” she whispers softly. “Thank you for all the moments you shared with me, Ron. They are...” Then she sees the butterflies once more. “... are colourful memories, like the wings of those butterflies. They will always remain with me.” She is silent for a while.
“Now it seems to me that I have never lived the moments with you enough. It feels as if I did not appreciate each day with you enough. Never thought you’d be there one day and gone the next,” she says; her tears are forming a clear rivulet as they run down her cheeks. She wipes them away.
“But now, I have learned to appreciate the time I spend with Harry and the rest of my friends and family. You going away has taught me that I must appreciate the people I love, Ron. Alright, I have to go now. They are waiting for me. I am going to appreciate each and every moment I spend with them this Christmas. After all, I don’t know if tomorrow will come to greet me or not,” she says in her heart. She looks at the rose that she still holds firmly in her hand for just a moment, the reddish orange petals of the flower reminding her of Ron’s red hair.
A vast emptiness arises within her as she brings the stalk of rose close to her mouth. An irreplaceable loss, the emptiness whispers. Her lips brush against the petals softly. “I love you, Ron, and I always will,” she whispers, her voice full of somewhat deep sadness. She places the single stalk of rose on the tombstone, where it glows like fire against the snow and the white marble. The cold, winter wind blows once again, and Hermione shivers a little.
She stands up, smooths the creases on her coat-robes and, without turning around, walks away. And with every step she takes, the snow beneath her footprints melt away. In the place of the snow where she stepped a few moments ago, blades of green grass full of verdure spring to life in the exact shape of Hermione’s footprints.
She has learned to live life each and every day to the fullest. She has learned to love everyone around her even more. Ron has given Hermione the most wonderful Christmas gift: the gift of Love when he was around and the gift of Life when he isn’t.
A/N: I know it’s going to sound clichéd, but it is true that we can never be sure that tomorrow will arrive or not. The way Hermione lost Ron in the Wizarding war, some of us in this might have lost our friends in accidents and such. We never do anticipate such things to happen, but, unfortunately they do.Therefore, show your loved ones that you love them even in the smallest ways. Sorry if I rambled too much and Happy Today to all of you reading this! (I don’t think there is such a thing as Happy Today,nevertheless, do enjoy your day today!)