Disclaimer: This is a FAN fic. Thereby, logic would dictate that it is written by a FAN who in no way owns Harry Potter. And in this case logic would be right, because I own nothing. But then again, how often does logic actually apply to life? Anyway, I've never seen anyone point this out this connection before so I thought it was an interesting concept to explore in story form. Enjoy my first fic and please review with helpful pointers!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Seeker and Keeper-
By: Mists
It was noon, the day after Harry had triumphantly left the Dursleys for the final time. True to Ron and Hermione's words, they accompanied him to his "family's" home.
Upon reaching their destination, the two wizards were nearly bodily thrown out of the house by a very red faced Mr. Dursley. That was until Ron calmly explained that they would only be staying for a few days.
He then proceeded to blow up a vase to emphasize the fact that, even though Harry wasn't of age to legally use magic, he and Hermione were. And since Ron's father was head of the department that handled muggle relations, it would be best to, "Back the bloody hell off!" until they were gone. To which the Dursleys reasonably complied.
But now, one of Harry's ordeals had passed. Albeit that it was one of the smaller ones in the grand scheme of things, but it was still a big deal to Harry. Years of childhood suffering don't just go away as you endure more through out your life.
But that pain was dulled by the fact that his "real" family was behind him for this one final visit. Hermione, Ron, and Ginny were the foundation that would keep him strong during the long fight he faced ahead. But for now, he was bathed in love and happiness as he and the rest of the Weasleys prepared for Bill and Fleur's wedding.
"HARRY GET AWAY FROM THAT TABLECLOTH!"
"THAT'S THE WRONG ONE CHARLIE! I NEED THE BLUE ONE!"
"GINNY LEAVE THAT POT ALONE, IT NEEDS TO SIMMER!"
"I SWEAR IF YOU BOYS BANG THOSE TABLES TOGETHER IN MID AIR AGAIN, I"LL SKIN YOU ALIVE!"
Ahh…yes. He was BATHED in love. It was safe to say that the Weasley men and Ginny, were quite fed up at this point. Nothing they did seemed to be right according to Fleur and Mrs. Weasley. The two women had banded together in this dark time to make DAMN sure that this would be a HAPPY event to remember!
Even if it killed them all…
Even the infamous patience of the "Great" Hermione Granger was approaching empty.
"There is NO difference between the colors of turquoise and pool! They are both the same shade of blue! It's just a different name! If I'm ever this anile about anything so STUPID during the planning of my wedding you have permission to shot me!!" screamed the wild haired brunette at the top of her lungs.
In the absence of Ron, Harry responded with the obligatory question of, "Can I get that in writing?" To which he realized his mistake immediately, as he could see in Hermione's eyes that he was about to become "The Boy Who Lived No More."
It was his angel, Ginny, that saved him from the cruel arms of death that day, while the twins stood on the sidelines and took pictures.
Not long after the Hermione incident, Ron suggested that they all get out while they still could. To which…..everyone agreed. So they all escaped to the field near the Burrow to play Quidditch. Arthur put up an invisibility barrier so Fleur and Molly couldn't find them.
Though Arthur still contests to this day that it was to keep the MUGGLES away, but everyone knew the truth. Mr. Weasley was at the end of his rope too, which would explain the magic repelling charm he added on for good measure.
Hermione had agreed to keep score during the match. Team A consisted of Ginny as Seeker, Fred as Beater/Chaser, Bill as Chaser, and Arthur as Keeper. Team B had Harry as Seeker, George as Beater/Chaser, Charlie as Chaser, and Ron as Keeper.
"Okay this isn't going to work," said Charlie, "How are we going to tell which one's Fred and which one's George?"
"But that's what makes it fun!" the twins replied.
"And why do I have to play Chaser? I want to test my seeking skills against Harry, one prodigy Seeker versus another."
"Because of three reasons," said Ron, "The first is that Ginny needs the practice because she is the only one of us returning to the team this year, which means she'll be Seeker again because Harry isn't there. You don't want to see Gryffindor lose to Slytherin just because all of us aren't there anymore, do you?"
Charlie had a sober look about him, while the others shifted uncomfortably. The trio had told the others that they intended to go off alone on a secret task that only they could complete. So far, only the Weasley family knew, with the exception of Mrs. Weasley. They planned to have Arthur tell her and the rest of the Order once the trio had left the morning after the wedding. They all knew nothing more could be done to convince the three to stay. Some things just had to be done.
Ron just ignored the looks and continued on. "The second reason is that I want to see you and Bill go head to head."
To this the two brothers turned to each other and smiled. They hadn't been able to roughhouse together in a long while.
"And the third is so that Harry can flirt with Ginny as they try and catch the Snitch!"
For that, Harry smacked Ron upside the head and Ginny flew up and hit them both.
"Hey what did I do?!" exclaimed Harry, "Ron's the one who said it!"
"Doesn't matter, you were thinking it, I saw it in your eyes."
Everyone got into their positions on the field, Harry was still grumbling about crazy red headed women changing from angels to devils in an instant and something about women's occlumency or some rubbish. Ron was just happy that he wasn't the only one who got beat up this time.
As the game progressed, the stress of the wedding and the oncoming war began to loosen its hold on the participants. Ron sat hovering in front of the goal while he watched Charlie give Bill a wet wily in an attempt to take the Quaffle away. Arthur just laughed and shook his head at the antics of his "adult" children. It seemed that all rules had flown out the window, and that was just fine with Ron.
Ron's focus shifted to Harry and Ginny as they zoomed about the little make shift field. He was glad that the two were having fun trying to outdo each other.
It made him think of how perfectly the title of "Seeker" fit Harry. The Seeker was arguably the most important position on the team. A Seeker had to take out the main objective of the game, the Snitch. As the war between the two teams raged on above, the seeker was on his or her own to strike the final blow to the other side. Seekers had to be fast and quick. Because if a Bludger or a miss calculated dive took the Seeker out, the outcome of the battle would be sealed.
Capturing the Snitch is essential to the game. If one side was winning, the loss of the Snitch would mean they won the battle, but not the war. The Snitch had to be caught, no matter the risks the Seeker faced. The elimination of this elusive object that decided that fate of everything, rested on the Seeker's shoulders alone. Final loss or victory came down to one person. If the "Snitch" wasn't taken out, then the whole game would be lost.
Ron really hated irony.
As he watched Harry, he realized just how Harry's role in the game paralleled the one he played it real life. He smirked at the thought of what Hermione would think of that analogy.
"Men! I swear, why does everything in life go back to Quidditch?!"
Ron laughed as his mental version of Hermione berated him. But in this instance, the red head really thought he was onto something. It didn't just apply to Harry, but to himself as well. The reality of it dawned on him quite quickly from there.
The Keeper was the team's guardian, their shield. He protected that which was the most precious, the team and its goal. In essence, the Keeper was the exact opposite of the Seeker. While the Seeker goes off alone, the Keeper stands guard. The Keeper hovers with the warring sides, watching the battle, shouting warnings when ever possible to keep the other team members safe.
The goal is the Keeper's top priority. It must be kept safe at all costs. If the goal was left open, the other team would pounce upon it. Even if the Seeker caught the Snitch, the war would still be lost. The Seeker would come back to nothing. The cheers would be silent, for though the Snitch was caught, the cost was too high. For all the Seeker had done and faced, the other team still won. The Keeper was the unwavering shield against this fate. He or she would make sure that the Seeker's victory was absolute. That all the Chasers' and Beaters' work wouldn't be in vain. So when the team came back, cheers of victory would cry, instead of ones of sorrow.
That was Ron's role in Quidditch and in life. He was to be the Keeper of all. The one who had to make sure, Harry would have a reason to come back after facing Voldemort. He would keep those that Harry cared for the most, safe from harm. He would do everything in his power to make sure that Harry would come back to cheers of love and joy, then to the heartbreaking silence of an empty victory.
As he watched the setting sun, Ron closed his eyes as he felt a single tear run down his face.
"Ron are you all right?"
Ron opened his eyes to see a sight he never expected to see again. Hermione, his Hermione was riding a broom. By herself no less!
"What the?!" Ron exclaimed as he nearly fell of his broom in shock.
Hermione was hovering wobbly in the air in front of Ron as Harry came up next to her on his Firebolt to steady her.
"HA! Told you that would wake him up!" Harry laughed.
"Har-Har. What happened to everyone?"
"They were tired, so they headed back to the burrow. Apparently dinner's almost ready. Herimone and I kept calling you, but you were off in "La La Land" so we figured this was a good way to wake you up!" smirked Harry, still in a good mood.
Ron smiled in return. He was glad to see Harry happy again.
"Come on then! Let's go get some dinner before the others eat it all." Ron replied as Harry flew on ahead back to the burrow.
"You never answered my question Ron," said Hermione as she transferred herself from her broom to the back of Ron's.
Ron made sure she was safely on before taking off toward home.
"I'm fine Hermione, or at least I will be…. I just finally understand now."
"Understand what?"
"I'll tell you later."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Seven Months Later-
The last one. Finally, the trio had destroyed the last one. Now all that was left was Voldemort. Harry thought by this point he would feel like a dried up useless rag, so weary that it'd hurt to even breathe.
But for some odd reason… he didn't. He felt a new revitalizing vigor coursing through his veins. And for the first in a long time, he felt the warm glow of hope enter his heart.
But a deep hurt came with it that he couldn't save everyone. Dobby, the house elf, had saved the trio's lives in one final valiant effort. He truly deserved to carry Gryffindor's sword right until the end. Harry and Ron promised themselves that they would never make fun of S.P.E.W again and help Hermione with the organization anyway they could.
Neville went against Lestrange and won, but he died shortly after, having lost too much blood. It was a death that cut Harry deeper than he could say.
Fred's left arm and George's right leg were crushed when a piece of masonry fell on them. Somehow, Ron had saved them from the Death Eaters attacking them. They watched their little brother in awe as he stood in front of them while fending off seven wizards.
Now the trio had come to Hogwarts, the Death Eaters had focused their attack on the wizarding world's last line of defense. The Weasleys and other magical families had taken refuge there, but even its hallowed halls wouldn't stand an assault like this for much longer. Dumbledore's barriers were breaking as the teachers and others were using all of their energy to reinforce them. Others saved their energy for the battle ahead, knowing that they were only delaying the inevitable.
The trio and Ginny stood in front of Hogwarts' massive doors. This was it. Ginny, Hermione, and Ron knew that in the end Harry must face Voldemort alone. They knew they couldn't stop him this time. Ginny held onto Harry as she cried onto his shoulder.
"Remember Ginny," he whispered to her, "I will always love you."
"I will too."
They shared one last kiss and Ginny departed to find her parents.
Hermione then launched herself at Harry and held him tightly.
"Harry," was all he could make out as she cried onto his shoulder.
"I know," was his tearful reply.
He could comfort neither the woman he loved nor the one who he considered his sister. He felt like they were saying goodbye forever.
She and Ron were with him through almost everything. They were his foundation, his saviors from a world of loneliness. The three had faced more horrors and shared more joys, then most wizards did in a lifetime. He had no guarantees that they or Ginny would be alive if he returned.
Would he want to come back, if his three most precious people died?
What life would that be?
He began to feel his hope for any chance to live a life free of Voldemort begin to fade. That was until Hermione let go and allowed Ron to step forward.
Ron placed his hands on Harry's shoulders, and looked him straight in the eye.
Ron's eyes always held such power. They seemed to glow at times with whatever emotion he was feeling, and now was no exception. The intensity and strength they held now stunned Harry to his very core.
"You're coming back Harry." He simply stated. Hermione let out a small gasp.
Harry's eyes widen.
"Why's that?"
Ron leaned in close to Harry's face with a smirk and said,
"Because you're the Seeker and I'm the Keeper."
The shock on Harry's face was hilarious. Ron laughed whole heartedly and pulled Harry into a hug.
His laugher continued as he said, "I'm the Keeper, I'm here to keep them safe. You're the Seeker, so go get that Snake-eyed Snitch!"
Harry's shock gave way to realization, which in turn, gave way to tear filled laughter as he returned Ron's hug. Ron would keep those Harry loved safe while he took out Voldemort. Harry was the sword and Ron was the shield. Ron would keep them safe. He had no doubt of that. Harry had a reason to live after Voldemort, and he would fight with everything he had to come back alive.
"I won't let you and the girls down, I promise."
"Well then that's as good as gold to me mate. But if for some reason you do kick the bucket, remember that when I die, I'll find you and kick your ass across the afterlife, you hear me?"
"Duly noted!" replied Harry as he and Ron let go.
Hermione just threw up her hands in exasperation.
"Men! I swear, why does everything in life go back to Quidditch?!"
But for once, even Hermione had to admit that Ron's analogy made sense.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author's Notes: As most of you can see I've updated the format of this story. Since quite a few people wanted me to continue it, I've come up with an idea for one more chapter. It will be an AU fusion between the facts that I have already established and some elements of the end of DH. It will be out soon.