Flower Petals

-19-

Ron was determined to win Alstromeria back. He didn't care much about the winning part, and he didn't find that he was confused, as Alli was with Draco. In fact he was very clear in his own mind where they stood. 

She loved him, and he loved her, and for now that was more then enough. 

He was always bad with words, so here he sat in the gryffindor common room with Harry and Hermione, writing down ideas for elegant declarations of love. He wrote about the first Christmas they had together in the burrow. 

It was freezing outside and still Alstroemeria insisted they build a snow-witch. Ron gathered his gloves and his boots, bundling up so tight that if he fell he wan't sure he'd be able to get back up. He took one step out of the house and was pummeled with four snowballs, two by the twins, one by Ginny, and one from Harry. Alli came running with a scowl on her face to yell at them all. 'Ron hates the cold! You would know that if only you just listened! Come on Ron!" she said, grabbing his hand and dragging him away. Behind the house she'd set up a blanket on the snow, Molly had made it float like a magic carpet so it wouldn't be soaked by snow. She brought all of Ron's favorite foods, chocolate frogs, and kettle corn decorated the fleece. 

"I figured," she said quietly "You have to share everything and well, you don't have share me i guess is what i'm saying, if that makes sense at all."

It did make sense. Ron stood for a moment like he was living a wonderful dream, nobody had ever done something like this before for him, not even close. And though, Alli and Ginny were close, and she loved Harry fiercely, Ron knew she was telling the truth, even as children. Their connection, the real, simple, beautiful love, they would never share with another, because it would never go away. 

Ron had a grandiose smile on his face, he loved her so deeply he was sure there was nothing left of his to give, no hate, no anger and no jealousy, only love. 

He put his present on her bed, hoping to Merlin that it would come across the way he wanted, perhaps since he wasn't a good writer, he should let somebody else do the talking.

Ron would face his boggart later in life, though not too much later. It would no longer be Aragog, not the humongous and terrifying spider, I'm sure you can  imagine what it was but in case you cannot;

Ron's boggart became his Flower, dead at his feet, cold, lifeless, staring up at him with her chocolate eyes, her hair thrown around like spilled wine on the ground, hopeless. It wasn't Alli with Malfoy or any other man, (as one might expect) Ron knew if she was happy and alive that even though he would be decimated, he would still have more love for her, then hate for Draco.

He wondered, only for a moment if Draco's boggart was the same, Alli, cold to the touch. Reaching for him, the realization that he could never hold her, kiss her, he could never grow old with her or have babies to run around the burrow.

It was not.

It's been explained that Lupin brought his cabinet of curiosity to class, to test each and every student against their greatest fear, their boggart. Every student in that class broke themselves apart to face giant spiders, evil professors and graded papers. All but one. All but Draco Malfoy.

His father had ordered that he stayed in the dormitories that day, because he could not face the embarrassment of his only son , disgracing his name yet again. 

Malfoy had faced a boggart before, once when he was very little. Dark witches and wizards circled through his life like a carousal of evil, bringing him gifts and trinkets, showing him tricks and rare creatures to impress Lucius. One of which came in a bolted box, decorated with engraved vines and arrows. The carnival man opened it in front of a crowd at the manor, all coming to see what their greatest fear truly was. There were loads of dragons, ogres, vampires, all reasonable things to be scared of.