116Chapter 1: Everything Has Changed
Disclaimer: HP belongs to the brilliant J. of course.
A/N: You may notice a few brief things written in this story that do not connect with HBP, that is because I began writing this story before HBP, however: this is a romance story and revolves around just that- romance, so this story is still good (b/c it's not an adventure that would need facts from the HBP to be written).
No one knows, not even me, exactly why we had stopped talking, stopped seeing each other. Some said it was because there was too much tension after Harry's death, yes that dark haired boy had died- but what you think happened I am quite sure didn't. Just like the mystery of Ron and I no longer talking, Harry's death was never completely determined. He had in fact successfully killed the dark lord leaving the world in utter happiness, and leaving him to be one of the loneliest people in the world.
In the long war of our 7th year and the year following our graduation from Hogwarts; Ginny Weasley, the petite strong girl that she was, was tortured to death. She was used as bait to lure Harry to go fight Lord Voldemort in the final battle. Voldemort said he would let her go if Harry came and fought him, but when was that awful wizard ever true to his word? Never, and he didn't let down his reputation then either. When Harry came to fight him, Ginny was already dead. Many recall the story as that the frail red headed girl lay on the floor her hair tangled around her arms, motionless. Voldemort had tortured her to death, never wanting to let the chance to kill someone get away from him. I suppose you could say one reason why Harry struck Voldemort down that day, at the young age of 18, was because of his anger toward the dark wizard...he had loved Ginny so.
The Weasleys, Harry, and I were struck with grief beyond repair. Our bright little (yet fierce) Ginny had died at the young age of 17; she didn't even get a chance to live out her life to the full extent that it could have been lived. The light in Harry's eyes never shown anymore, he was forever gone so to speak. It was almost as if a dementor had sucked his soul out devoid of any of our knowledge. And when he died a year later probably of grief, it really was the last straw, especially for Ron. It was said that Ron went a bit mad, not completely though. Crazy enough to haunt himself, but not crazy enough to warrant himself a bed in St. Mungo's.
I remember him telling me, his hair all mused up from not showering for days, that he wished he had gone all the way crazy. That it would have been better than being stuck in between sane and crazy, that he wished he could be dead just like his sister and best friend. Oh I loved that boy so...and he knew it. I knew he loved me too, but who could show their feelings in such dreary times? No one I would expect...especially not us.
That had been the last time I spoke to him. He left the next day, he said something about needing to get away and didn't even attend Harry's funeral. Well his need to get away has kept him for nearly 5 years. Just last year I found out that he lived in an upstairs apartment in London about ten miles from where I live, and had been living there since he had left his home at the Burrow. I guess when Ginny and Harry died; he forgot that he still had me.
I've spent many years just wondering what I had done to cause him to lose faith in me, to leave with out even so much as a good-bye. He just seemed to disregard our 9 years of friendship. I don't think he really cared about how I felt, about how I had nearly drowned in my sorrows of my lost friends also. I saw my red headed friend, the only person I had ever truly loved, a few times around town...perhaps at the grocery market, but all I ever received was a nervous smile. Maybe he didn't remember me? But how could he not...I still had my bushy hair of course.
To my surprise and utter most embarrassment I still feel a flutter in my stomach every time I see him. For Merlin's sake I feel a flutter every time I see a flash of red, thinking it must be my Ron coming back to me. He had found himself, and he's coming back to me after all. But I'm still waiting for that boy, maybe he knows I am.
A/N: All of the chapters after this will be at least twice as long, but this needed to be by itself to give the overall picture of things. Through out this story a lot of those things that are introduced in this chapter will become clearer.