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He walked into the The Great Hall with Harry who was clutching to his cloak. Applause erupted from around the room as he guided Harry to the front of the room. Harry held tighter and came closer to him. Ron could tell he was overwhelmed and perhaps even a bit afraid of the loud noise so he circled an arm around his shoulder. They were flushed at the side and Harry moved an arm to his waist holding to his shirt with both hands on either side of him. Ron could feel him relaxing under his touch even with the disruptive environment.
As they reached the table in the front of the room Professor or he should say Headmaster Mcgonagall silenced the room. He brought Harry to his chair behind the table and took his hand in his own to place it on the chair. Harry sat and smiled at him graciously before feeling around the table to familiarize himself with the area.
“You good then?” He whispered discretely as Mcgonagall started her speech.
“Yes, but wait.” Harry replied quietly putting his arm out towards him. Ron took it as Harry placed it on the table beside him without letting go he said with a small smile in his direction. “Stay?”
“Harry..” Ron sighed. He knew Harry could get him to do anything even when he knew he wasn’t supposed to and he knew he would cave just like he always did.
“Please?” He asked hopefully placing his other hand on top of Rons pulling slightly.
Ron sighed again looking down then caved completely. “Yeah, alright.”
A house elf appeared as if this were planned and placed a seat next to Harry before disappearing. Ron laughed a bit humorlessly as he sat down his hand still trapped in Harrys who was smiling like a maniac. “I swear if you’ve planned this..”
“Of course not. You know I could never predict anything you do.” Harry replies as he looked forward smiling, one hand still in Ron’s own. ‘It was nice to see Harry smiling again’ Ron thought to himself as he watched Harry. ‘after the war we were all a mess and no one knew what had truly happened to Harry.’
When Ron had found him he was holding his head in his hands crying on the ground. He had run to him and held him for a moment before he saw Harry’s hands were covered in blood. He gently took one from his eyes and examined it but the blood wasn’t coming from his beat up hands but from his eyes. His tears were mingled with blood and Ron knew he had to act fast for he didn’t know how long he had been like this.
He had lifted him and carried him to Madam Pomfrey running as fast as he could. The only sounds he could hear as he ran along the broken corridors was his footsteps and Harry’s anguished sobs. They still haunt him three months later in his dreams.
When he burst into the Hall everyone went quite as he rushed him to Pomfrey. They transferred him to a bed but he wouldn’t pull his bloodstained hands away from his eyes. He remembers with horrifying clarity as he and Hermione has to pin him down so she could look at his eyes and the scream he let out when Pomfrey had to pry them open to asses the damage. He remembers how Hermione had look away from it all to cry while still holding him down he had tears in his own eyes as he watched her try and help him. Even after she had given him calming droughts and multiple sleeping potions he still screamed blood curdling screams that everyone who heard them had their hands over their ears and tears in their eyes.
Hours later she told them he would be blind, permanently and there was nothing she could do.
Ron knew Harry would devastate so he asked if they could move him to a separate part of the castle for a while she agreed. So a few of they guys well enough to help brought Harry’s cot to a separate room that was mostly intact. Then he waited for the inevitable.
It took Harry a while to accept that he was in fact blind. It took even longer for him to realize that this wasn’t the end of the world for him. It took less time than he thought for Harry to become motivated again but more time for him to realize that he needed help. Ron moved in with Harry at Grimmauld Place to help with his recovery it took a long while but Harry was slowly adjusting and today was his first outing since everything.
Ron clutched Harry’s hand tighter in his own and looked ahead at everyone as Mcgonagall continued her speech. He was ashamed to say he didn’t listen to a word of it instead watching the crowd picking out faces but it was rather easy when they were all together. Hermione, Neville, Ginny, Luna, George, Draco, Pansey, Gregory, And Blaise. After everything they became good friends with Draco and his gang they put there differences aside and heard each other out (although it took Harry a longer time to adjust) even helping Draco with his parents and Death Eater past. Now they’re all very close and surprisingly enough Draco and Harry are very close friends now.
They were all together now and they would all help Harry that much he knew. No matter what they would all help him no matter what.
“-For another new year! Now, I believe Harry has prepared a speech for us.” Mcgonagall finished as she motions to Harry and the hall erupts with loud applause again.
Ron and Harry stand together then Ron guide Harry to the podium up front. He helps him up on to it but he can tell Harry still feels unbalanced even with one hand on the edge so he keeps hold of his hand from next to him.
“Um.” Harry cleared his throat. “I don’t know what to say exactly.” He said smiling slightly as everyone else does the same. Ron squeezes his hand encouragingly. “What I do know to say is; Thank you. To everyone in this room, to those who cannot be in this room but deserve to be and will be forever in our hearts. I thank you for fighting for staying and putting yourself at risk for the greater of our world. Thank you to those who have helped someone in recovering-“ he squeezed Ron’s hand “-helped someone to heal more than their own wounds.” He took a death before continuing. “Something I have learned was to never to take anything for granted, particularly time. Time is something we think we have so much of, so we do meaningless things everyday hoping for something to change when we actually don’t do anything to change that. It puts you in perspective when you come into a, almost conversation with death to enjoy and live every moment of your life because it’s hard to tell when it will be over. Or when others will be over. Something I know of is that this has forced us to grow in amazing and different ways, it’s made us perhaps harder, stronger but more importantly kinder and wiser. I would be the person to know who’s changed because who I considered an enemy almost a year ago is now one of my closest friends and I would even dare to say best friends. After everything that has happened and we can still all meet here today amazes me it shows how strong our bond is and is to Hogwarts because this is our home and we’ll protect it no matter what happens or who happens we’ll always be here. And now that it is rebuilt to its former glory I can say this; Welcome to Hogwarts where we find where we belong and who we belong with. This is our family and we intend to protect it.” The applause is deafening and Ron pulls Harry down before hugging him tight. Really the hug is to congratulate him type of thing but also it’s for comfort, (it was still hard for him) but also for selfish reasons over their time together Ron had become far too fond of contact with Harry for a normal friendship but he’d never take advantage of that not with Harry in the state he is now. But maybe just this once.
“You did great Harry.” He whispered into his ear as he brought him back to their seats at the front table.
“Thank you, for more than just this.” Harry whispered back as they sat hands still intertwined on the table.
“Always, Harry. Always.”
“Let the feast begin!”