Ron and His Ghosts

The Box of Memories

A figure sat in an old armchair across the room. Ron started to slowly make his way over to them when he realized that whoever it was held a box in their hands.

"Lumos." The person muttered. Suddenly the room was lightly illuminated by the bluish light. Ron realized that the figure with box was the one and only Harry Potter, his best friend.

Ron walked closer and knelt next to the ratty old armchair. He noticed the box. It was one he had once added to and looked through for laughs and smiles. Now-a-days it would bring tears instead.

Harry lifted the top of the box up that read 'memories' and set it next to him. Ron now saw inside. There was a stack of pictures that have been taken through all of their Hogwarts years. It also had all of their Hogwarts tickets, the baby pictures of all their kids, all the daily prophet articles of anyone they knew, and a few other little mementos.

Harry went straight for the stack of pictures and slowly made his way through the pile, staring at each one for a long time.

One that extremely caught Ron's attention had been from second year. Ron, Hermione and Harry had all stood in a line. Ron's eyes were sweeping next to him at Hermione and smiling while Harry and Hermione looked at the camera. Every once in a while Ron would realize what he was doing and turn back to the camera; then Hermione would take a short glance at Ron.

That was the year Ron really started to care for Hermione. It was big brotherly at that time.

Then Ron cringed at one from sixth year where Harry and Ron were standing together after a quidditch match and in the background Lavender Brown was jumping up and down and waving at Ron. A few people down Hermione stood with her arms crossed glaring at Lavender.

Harry slowly looked through the whole stack, pausing on each one to study it and just slightly smiling. After that, he set the pictures back where he had gotten them and picked up the stack of the kid's pictures.

He went through that quicker because of the size of the stack. Ron wanted to keep staring at Rose's first picture.

Hermione was lying in a hospital in St. Mungos under some thin blankets. In her arms laid a little pink bundle. Sticking out was a chubby little face that looked just like Hermione, except the ginger hair on the top of the little girl's head.

Ron was on the side of the bed smiling adoringly at Rose while stroking Hermione's hand. Hermione kept repositioning her to make sure she wouldn't be uncomfortable. Ron would always make fun of Hermione about that. From the day Rose was born she was already trying to be the perfect mother. She was a natural either way.

The next one after that was Hugo's. Rose at two years sat next to Hermione holding a fairy tale book up to her reading it. Hugo lay in Hermione's arms sleeping and again she is trying to make sure he is comfortable. Ron knelt next to the bed smiling at his family.

Where was that happiness now? Had it blown away with time leaving him bare? Ron thought through this as Harry went through the rest of the box looking at everything and smiling.

What was Harry thinking right now? Ron thought after a while. Was he looking for answers? Just a remembrance of the past? Why did he feel a need go into the box of memories? Again Ron would never get answers to his questions.

Ron heard someone clear their throat by the door. Both Ron and Harry look up at the same time. Standing in the doorway was the one and only Ginny. She looked like she was trying to smile but it was paining her.

"The meetings over." She stated then leaned her shoulder on the door frame and crossed her arms across her chest. "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing." Then Harry quickly put the top on the box and set it on the floor.

"I am sorry about Ron."

"Don't be. It's his problem I should not care."

"Harry, you don't mean that. He's your best friend." Ginny pushed herself off the door frame and took a few steps toward Harry.

"Was. He was my best friend." Harry corrected her.

"Harry..." She was pleading him. Harry was on his feet and walking for the door. Ginny's thin pale arm blocked his path. "You are a grown man now. Can you just apologize to him and this can be over?"

"Ginny, this is none of our business, if Ron wants to do this with his life let him."

"No! Harry, he is our family and he is throwing his life away. I am not going to let him do that no matter what you think; And if you can't accept me trying to help my brother out of a tough time... Then go!" She then ran out of the room crying.

"Ginny!" Harry yelled and ran after her.

Suddenly the ghosts were back by his side. "Can we go now?" Ron muttered slowly getting back up to his feet. His knees were aching from kneeling on the wood floor for a long time.

"Yeah." Fred muttered obviously feeling the tension that still hung in the air.

Again he popped back to his living room. Just like the first time, he was all alone. The room was the same as it had been when he had fallen asleep but it somehow wasn't.