Three weeks had passed since the Battle of Hogwarts. The dead had been buried, the wounded had been tended to, and the castle was already under reconstruction.
Hermione had left immediately after the funerals to retrieve her parents from Australia. She and Harry exchanged letters often, keeping each other updated.
Harry had stayed with the Weasleys all that time. It was the least he could do after the devastating loss of Fred.
Molly and Arthur were inconsolable, but they remained strong for the rest of their children. Percy had come back home, Charlie and Bill came and went, and Ginny stayed by her motherâs side, comforting her as best she could.
George didnât speak. He was always pale, barely sleeping, barely moving. He only ate because the rest of the family hovered over him, coaxing him through it.
But there was someone else in the shadows â someone Harry noticed wasnât eating, wasnât sleeping, and hardly spoke either.
According to Hermione, Ron was in a sort of shock. At any moment he might come back to himself â and perhaps not in the best way. Harry feared that moment, and at the same time, he wanted it. He didnât care how it came â he just wanted to see something, anything, from his best friend again.
Ron hadnât cried at Fredâs funeral. Since then, heâd been nothing more than a ghost of himself. The boy who used to laugh, who joked about everything. The boy Harry had, at some point, fallen in love with â something Ron himself didnât know.
A month had passed, and even George had begun to improve. He spoke, ate without being prompted, and Harry couldâve sworn heâd seen him smile more than once.
Ron, however, wasnât getting any better â and that had everyone deeply worried.
Mrs Weasley tried to get him to talk, cooked all his favourite meals, even polished his broom in the hope he might feel like flying. Nothing worked.
Harry was beside himself with worry. Would Ron ever be the same again?
One night, Harry heard Ron bolt upright in bed. His eyes were wide, his mouth set in a thin line, his face paler than ever.
Even in the darkness, without his glasses, Harry could see Ronâs chest rising and falling far too quickly.
Harry jumped out of his bed, shoved his glasses on, and sat beside him at once.
âRon! Ron, mate! Come on, breathe with me â youâre hyperventilating!â He wrapped an arm around his back, rubbing his chest with the other, trying to calm him, Ronâs heart was pounding so fast Harry thought he might faint. His face was flushing red, his eyes glassy.
Then suddenly, Ron gasped for air as if heâd just come up from underwater â and let out the most piercing scream Harry had heard in a long time, as though it had been torn straight from his core. Violent sobs followed, his legs moving restlessly, caught in the grip of a panic attack, while Harry held him tightly.
âThatâs it⊠let it out, let it out. Iâm here. Youâre safe. Weâre okay.â
The door burst open, and the Weasleys, in their pyjamas, stood there in alarm. Harry gestured that he had it handled, and Mr Weasley immediately understood â urging the others to step back and give Ron space.
Ronâs breakdown lasted over half an hour â harsh sobs, endless tears, broken, incoherent words. Harry didnât let go once.
When the sobs finally softened into small, shaky breaths, Harry lay back on the bed, still holding him, and Ron went down with him. Harryâs right arm stayed wrapped around his chest, grounding him, while his left rested over him, steady and reassuring.
âYou did so well⊠youâre going to be alright, Ron. Youâre going to be alright,â he murmured against his copper hair.
Ron didnât reply â but he tightened his grip on Harryâs hand, and for him, that was enough.
That night was the first time they shared a bed.
From then on, they decided they wouldnât sleep apart again.
Ronâs recovery came slowly, surrounded by his family â and especially by Harry. The mind healer had explained that it was a mix of shock, grief, and war-induced trauma that had left him in that state.
He wouldnât be fully better right away â perhaps not for a long time â but it was something that would take time and care.
Something Harry had plenty of.
And something he would do anything to see through.
Thatâs why he decided to take Ron to Grimmauld Place. Mrs Weasley hadnât agreed at first, but Mr Weasley made her see that, for Ron, it might be what he needed. A quieter place to heal. The Burrow held too many memories.
Harry led him to Siriusâs old room â the one they would now share â and Ron stopped short when he saw a new bed placed at the centre.
âWhere did that come from?â he asked, his voice rough from lack of use.
âI had it brought in⊠for both of us.â
âHave you seen how massive you are, Weasley?â Harry replied, grinning.
And for the first time in a while, Harry caught a flicker in those blue eyes he loved so much.