Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

I Don't Know You Anymore

Chapter 1
Hide and Seek

The wind gave away a slight whistle and sent a chill travelling up Ron's back when he stepped out in the streets. The latest week the snow had slowly, but surely, started to melt and it now looked like the spring would arrive this year as well. Avoiding a puddle of water Ron made his way down St. Abimelech Street. Even if the spring finally had decided to come it wasn't giving it away today, or the day before. It had been quite windy the past couple of days, although it didn't bother Ron. With the cold it was bringing there had hardly been any people out, which Ron found as a good thing, seeing as he could easily take his long walks without the chance of anyone running in to him or bothering him in any other way. No, the peace and quiet suited him perfectly.

Walking in the teeth of the wind, Ron wrapped his cloak tighter around him, but let the wind blow freely in his hair. His walking routine had started only a couple of months earlier. It made him feel less lonely and he had found it as a good way of relaxing and keeping his mind off his work. His job at the ministry was something that he enjoyed, quite frankly. Although it wasn't like he had expected it to be, but to be honest nothing of the life he had now was anything like he had expected it to be when he had graduated. But he really should have expected that, shouldn't he?

Wrapping his scarf round his neck and once again tightening his cloak around him he started walking. Turning right, when reaching Fulham Road, Ron walked slowly down Gabon Street. Down this road the wind wasn't blowing as hard as it had before and Ron cold now take his hand out of his pockets, though only in an attempt to blow them warm. When graduating from Hogwarts nothing had moved in the direction he had wanted them to. Harry had spent about a month, more or less, in St Mungo's. Hermione had started Healer training the same week Harry had been released. About a month after Hermione had left Harry had accepted the position as seeker for Wimbourne Wasps, so much for his dream of becoming an auror, Ron supposed that he wanted to have some fun for a change. Accepting that also meant that he was pretty much out of town most of the time. Ron had started working at the Ministry; to his surprise he had been offered a position as an Unspeakable, which basically meant that no one really knew what it was that he was doing. With Harry out of town and with Hermione studying he'd had a lot of time on his own.

Even though the first year had been real lonely he had kept himself occupied with work, and he had succeeded very well with that. After all Ron had a quite interesting profession. But he was still surprised by his own actions in that, seeing as he never thought he'd choose Hermione's way in making oneself to feel less lonely. But with Ginny graduating at the beginning of the summer Ron had spent time with his baby sister about once a week. But these days it had changed to about once a month, more or less. She had followed in Hermione's footsteps and had too started Healer-training.

But during this time, with both Ginny and 'Mione studying, they had both, somehow, managed to fit him in their busy schedule. They met up at least once a week, which Ron was extremely happy about. Hanging out with 'Mione was definitely something that he had missed, and that was something she had noticed as well. He was a lot happier with her around, and that was no secret. Whenever Harry was in town he arranged for the four if them to meet, so that meant that they got to meet up quite regularly too. Hanging out with both of his best friends, and his sister, was Ron's favourite thing to do. It was a lot more fun than working 24/7.

But of course, as everything else, it changed. The hanging out part decreased to less and less time. Although sometimes they would hang out pretty much everyday, and other weeks Ron wouldn't even see a glimpse of his best friends. Even though he still met up with Harry every time he was in town it wasn't the same. When he confronted Hermione about it she blamed it on her final exams. And this was something that Ron, half-heartedly, accepted. After all it was her last year in Healer-training, and she was Hermione. Believing that he would get too see her more when she had moved on from being a trainee to being an actual Healer, he let her be. Ginny too was occupied with studying and practicing the fine art of healing, but she also seemed to be able to fit in something else, or rather someone else.

About a year into Healer-training Ginny had seemed to finally forget about her childhood crush, or she'd once and for all given up on him, and started seeing a good-enough Healer-trainee. Ron had never really cared for the name Ewan, but seeing how happy that young man made his sister made him reconsider it.

The fact that Ginny had gotten herself a Ewan didn't surprise Ron too much, apart from the boy's name. But when Harry spilled it out to his best friend who he had hitched himself to Ron had, quite frankly, been taken by surprise.

Ordering another bottle of butterbeer in wait for his best friend Ron studied the room. It was weird how one place could stay just the same whilst everything else in his life changed. The Three Broomsticks looked exactly the same as it had when he had first set his foot in there as a thirteen year-old boy. Ron smiled as he remembered the first time he and Hermione had set foot in the Hogsmead pub. The look of amazement in Hermione's face and how he had blushed when she had noticed him looking at her.

Taking a gulp of butterbeer he turned back towards the bar. Facing madam Rosmerta, who looked just as pretty as she had eight years earlier, Ron smiled and took another gulp.

'Waiting for young Mr. Potter, are we Mr Weasley?' came Rosmerta's voice from behind the counter. Ron smiled and nodded, revealing a set of white teeth.

'How's things with Hermione, dear?' asked Rosmerta as she leant down on the counter in front of Ron, resting her elbows on it.

'She's fine, I suppose,' said Ron quietly, taking another gulp of butterbeer. 'Studying hard as always, you know her.'

'I do, I do,' chuckled the bartender, noticing that the youngest Weasley boy was almost out of butterbeer she took out an unopened bottle from beneath the counter. 'She certainly is one of a kind, isn't she?'

'Yeah,' sighed Ron, Rosmerta handing him a newly uncorked bottle, smiled sweetly.

'Before you know it, it's too late Ronald,' came the words which was the cause of that moment's sweet smile. There was no time for Ron to ask what the bloody hell she had meant. Even though, deep down inside, he knew exactly the thought behind those words.

'Hey mate!' Ron recognized the voice of his male best friend and turned around to face Harry.

'Harry,' came Ron's answer and motioned for him to sit down. Shaking his head Harry ordered himself a butterbeer from Rosmerta and then turned to Ron.

'I was thinking we could get a table,' there was a pinch of seriousness in his voice and Ron nodded.

Walking towards an unoccupied table, both boys had their bottles in a firm grip. Sitting down by a table in one of the pub's four corners Ron could sense the seriousness even more. The one thing he couldn't tell was if it was a good serious or a bad serious.

'Would I be right if I said that there's more to this than just having a drink at the local pub?' there was even a tone of seriousness in Ron's question, which was a bit unusual. Harry nodded and brought the butterbeer bottle to his lips.

'What would you say if I told you that I've decided to get hitched?' said Harry suddenly, this time his eyes twinkled and he revealed a smile that would've given Sirius a run for his money.

'Hitched? You?' Ron tried to suppress a laugh. But Harry just smiled and nodded. Ron leaned back and took a sip of butterbeer before he asked; 'To whom? I mean, you didn't even tell me you were seeing someone.'

Harry's charming smile disappeared and his gaze fell. He had the look of a puppy that's done something bad. He sat silent for a while until he let his gaze wander up towards his best friends face. Ron shot one look at his best friend, and there was no doubt that the word 'sorry' was written all over his face.

'Hermione.'

As soon as the words had reached Ron's ears, his face fell. He let go of his bottle, he didn't even shift as it hit the floor. Ron didn't even react as it broke, or move a muscle when its contents flew all over the place. It was like he had just been hit by a stunning spell, he was speechless. How was this possible? Why? Why was Harry going to marry 'Mione? Why? He was staring into thin air; he didn't even notice a single one of all the sounds in the noisy pub. To him it was all quiet. He was in shock, for he had just found out the worst thing that he could possibly think of. Someone had snatched Hermione.

Without saying as much as a word to his best friend Ron got up, pushed his way through the crowd and without looking back he walked through the doors of the Three Broomsticks.

Ron shivered at the thought of how the news had reached him, he shivered at the bare memory of finding out that out of every possible guy in the world, the one that had chosen to marry her, and the one she had chosen to commit herself to, had been his best friend.

He had now reached the Westening Bridge, and Ron stopped. Leaning down, resting his arms on the banister, he looked out, over the river. With the winter cold slowly drawing away the ice had melted, partly, and there were now ice blocks floating on the freezing water. It was a clear sign that they were on their way to leave the winter behind them, once again. Inhaling the cold air, letting it slowly make its way down his throat. Exhaling far too quickly the cold winter air stuck in his throat and caused Ron a cough attack.

'I'm sorry Ron!' yelled Harry from somewhere behind the red-head. But the youngest Weasley boy continued to walk, ignoring the apology that his best friend had shouted after him.

'I'm sorry,' came Harry's voice again. This time not as loud, but you could clearly hear the sadness and the true regret fullness that was added to it.

Ron pulled his hand through his hair, and stopped. Before turning around, he seemed to have an inner battle with himself. But as he started to turn around Harry had started to run up to his best friend. Ron's eyes, filled of hurt, met Harry's. He could truly tell that Harry was indeed sorry for the situation he had put them in.

'I'm sorry,' mumbled Harry, sounding truly honest. His gaze falling his mumbling continued. Not daring to meet his best friend's eyes while talking Harry kept his gaze firmly on the ground. 'I never meant to hurt you Ron, we never meant to hurt you. I'm an idiot, I know. But you know what it's like Ron, you of all people know what it's like. I fell for her.' During the end Harry's gaze had been rising slowly. But when it reached the level where he was able to see Ron's face Harry wished he'd kept looking at his feet.He had never felt worse, not once. He wasn't looking into the face of his best friend; he was looking into the face of a man whose heart he had just broken.

Ron was used to the coughing, the attacks came and they left, but they were usually not this bad. When it finally stopped Ron had tears in his eyes, but he couldn't really tell if it was from the coughing or from the memory. He cleared his throat and gazed over the river once again. Slowly letting his gaze travel up, towards the sky, he smiled slightly at the sight of two birds, chasing one another, playing.

'Well, it's hard not to, eh?' laughed Ron stiffly, the pain still showing in his face, the tears glistening in his eyes. He could try and do his best to lighten up the mood, he could make jokes, but that wouldn't make him forget, that wouldn't make him forgive. Harry laughed lightly, knowing that Ron had made the joke with a very heavy chest. The weak smile disappeared from Harry's lips and he got somewhat serious again, taking a shot.

'I really do love her, Ron,' mumbled Harry, quite clearly, clearly enough for Ron to catch the words. Drawing a hand through his hair Ron's gaze fell. There was a moment of silence, Ron's gaze still focused on the ground. He took a deep breath, letting his gaze travel up, when meeting Harry's Ron broke the silence.

'You'd better.'