Accidentally in Love

Chapter 7: Ron's outburst

Hermione was sitting in a plane. It was the second time in her life, to travel by plane. She hadn't really thought that she'd ever again use a plane to travel. If you could apparate by will to any place you wanted to visit, it seemed stupid to take a plane. But maybe stupid was Hermiones new second name. She hadn't felt like apparating. She hadn't felt like being in Australia in the blink of an eye. Hermione needed time. She needed distance. She needed to think. And 24 hours of travelling sounded pretty good to her. So she booked the first flight that came along and now she was sitting in an airplane, all alone, looking out of the window and thinking about everything and everyone she'd left behind.

Harry could have been next to her. He could have been holding her hand, watching a movie with her or listening to music. Harry wouldn't have complained about travelling by plane. He would have thought it was exciting. An adventure. Not like Ron. Ron who would have complained about everything from the first second on. Ron who didn't understand her.

Hermione shook her head and closed her eyes. She ignored the man in the seat next to her as well as the woman sleeping next to him. And finally she fell asleep herself, lost in strange, blurry dreams. When she woke up again it was already dark and most of the passengers were sleeping soundly. Hermione started to regret her decision. She still had 5 hours to go until the plane would stop in Singapore. Then she would have to wait 3 hours before the next flight went on to Sydney. Australia was far away. And the closer she got to Australia, the more distance she put between herself and Harry. And with every mile passing, she felt as if all of this had been a huge mistake. She hadn't been separated from Harry for months. To be all by herself now felt surreal. Surreal and not good at all. She missed him. His voice, his eyes, his touch, everything about him.

"Travelling all alone?" the guy next to her suddenly asked and startled Hermione.

She smiled and nodded. She didn't feel like talking, so she didn't say any more, but he didn't seem to care.

"Hi, I'm Brian. I'm heading to Singapore for a meeting. What about you?" he asked expectantly and Hermione sighed inwardly.

"I'm Hermione. I'm visiting my parents in Australia." She finally said politely. Brian didn't stop talking to her and even though Hermione didn't feel like making huge conversation, time passed faster and she was soon grateful for the distraction. Thinking about Harry didn't change that he was miles away. And it didn't change that they couldn't be together. At least at the moment. And even though Hermione knew, that her decision had been right, it still hurt.

ooooo

The next days passed in a blur for Harry. Being without Hermione felt strange. Strange and not pleasant at all. He missed everything about her. Most of all he missed talking to her. He'd started writing at least a hundred letters, but every single one was thrown away because he didn't really know what to say. He wanted to tell her so much, yet he wanted to look her in the eye when he did so.

Ginny was being very kind. Always around, always trying to cheer him up. She was trying hard to make him feel better and the more she tried, the harder it was for Harry to stay. He knew that she was still in love with him, that part of her was still hoping he'd change his mind and come back to her. But it was much too late for that. His heart was Hermione's. Hermione, who'd left without him.

While Harry was sad about Hermione leaving, Ron had turned into his insufferable self. Sometimes Harry wanted to check if he still wore the locket, because this Ron was so glum and tiring that Harry felt reminded of the times he'd wanted to choke him for being a brat.

The Weasley's had been surprised to hear that Hermione had left and they were even more surprised when they heard, that Harry wanted to move out and look for his own place. They were all sitting at the table after eating one of Mrs. Weasley's great meals, when Harry made his announcement. They exchanged several glances until Mr. Weasley finally spoke up.

"Harry, you know that you don't have to leave. We have enough space and we like having you around. We can continue going to the Ministry together, once you have decided to start in the Auror department. It's not a bother at all…"

Harry smiled grateful but shook his head.

"That's very kind of you and I really appreciate your hospitality, but I won't start in the Auror department. At least not yet."

Everybody looked at him surprised and Harry had to smile about their expressions. The last days he'd spend a lot of time with Kingsley in the Ministry. Harry got tons of fan letters every day, he was more popular than ever before and no matter what he said, people would do it. So he'd decided to help Kingsley develop a new kind of Ministry and a new kind of Government. People like Dolores Umbridge or Fudge were no longer involved in governmental issues and families like the Malfoys didn't have any influence in the new system. In the end, Harry had finally become the face of the Ministry. And everybody assumed that after this summer, he would start to work there and establish a promising career. But he had other plans.

"I'm going to finish my education in Hogwarts. I want to go back for my last year. Afterwards I'm going to start in the Ministry. I already talked to Kingsley about it and he agrees."

Everybody seemed to be speechless after this announcement. Everybody except Ron.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he finally asked frowning, a strange gleam in his eyes. Harry was fed up with his attitude and didn't feel like pampering his ego.

"Because you didn't listen. We've been hardly talking and you're moody as hell."

Harry and Ron locked eyes for a long moment, while Ginny kept glancing between the two of them, not sure what to say.

"I thought we both wanted to start our Auror training." Ron sulked and Harry sighed.

"I still want to be an Auror, but first I want to finish school. I want one more year of normal life before starting with the hunt all over again. I miss Hogwarts. I want to spend at least one year in that school without Voldemort trying to kill me."

Mrs. Weasley gasped, but didn't say anything. It was Bill who finally shrugged and said that he understood and that Harry was right. "Besides, if you finish your education in Hogwarts, nobody will say that you just started in the Ministry because you're Harry Potter. So maybe going the official way is the right thing to do."

Harry nodded grateful. Ron finally nodded as well and announced that he'd go back to Hogwarts with Harry.

"Can't leave you all by yourself now. Who knows what happens when I'm not around…" he finally said with a crooked grin and Harry grinned back. This was Ron's way of apologizing. And Harry was glad about it, even though he hadn't missed the ambiguity in Ron's sentence. The last time he'd left Harry alone, Hermione had happened. And it was actually the best thing that ever happened to him at all.

"Ok, you want to go back to Hogwarts. That's a great idea. But you don't have to move out, Harry. It doesn't make sense to look for an apartment if you are going to stay in Hogwarts anyway." Mrs. Weasley finally said with a smile and Harry smiled back.

"Actually, I have some plans over the summer. I will take care of Sirius house. The Ministry wants to turn it into a memorial place for the members of the Order of the Phoenix. I want to help. And afterwards, I'd like to have some holiday. Visit places that have been special to my parents. Have a look if the Dursley's are fine and tell them that they could go back to Surrey if they want to. There are some things I need to do by myself. So please, let me go. I promise to be back. This is like home for me after all."

Mrs. Weasley had tears in her eyes, but didn't complain any longer. And finally they went to bed. Harry didn't miss Ginny's glance when she disappeared in her room, but he chose to ignore it. When he saw Ron standing in the room they were sharing, he knew that he couldn't ignore him though.

"So you plan on leaving?" Ron asked casually and Harry sighed. He knew that he wouldn't like this kind of discussion. He just nodded and Ron replied with a snort.

"Does this have anything to do with Hermione?" he finally asked and Harry thought yes but he said no.

"Ron, this has been a tough year. Like really tough. And I just need a break. I made up my mind yesterday, it's not as if I was planning this for weeks." Harry said tired and sat down on his bed.

"I see. First Hermione disappears and now you're leaving. What did I miss, Harry? What's been going on between you and Mione? And don't tell me there's nothing, because I'm not stupid. I've seen the way you look at her and the way you two talk and it might have been my imagination in the last years but something definitely changed when I left a couple of weeks ago. She wants me to be her friend. She wrote it in her letter. She didn't ask me to go with her, even though I always thought that was what we would do. I was hoping we would start anew once everything was over but instead she left. I know she's been angry with me, but that passed long ago. So what happened? What did I miss?" Ron asked and he looked at Harry calm and expectantly.

Harry knew that he could lie. He could tell Ron that he didn't know what all of this was about and that there was nothing between him and Hermione. He could have lied. But he didn't. It was time to tell the truth, time to be honest. And time to see how much their friendship could really endure.

"You missed that Hermione and I, we fell in love." Harry finally whispered.

It was hard to look your enemy in the eye and know that he was about to kill you. It was hard to keep looking for Horcruxes, to be on the run, always ready to be captured and killed. It took a lot of courage to be the Chosen One and handle the responsibility. But in all those years, looking Ron in the eye and telling him that he, Harry, was actually in love with the girl Ron adored for at least 5 years now, was the hardest thing he ever had to do. It was a kind of courage that didn't come easy.

Harry didn't know what to expect. He didn't know if Ron would go crazy or if he would laugh because he wouldn't believe Harry. Instead Ron sat down on his bed as if every ounce of energy had been sucked out of his body.

"I'm so stupid." He finally said low, a humourless laugh escaping his lips. "I trusted you. Even though I always had this feeling about you and Mione, I still trusted you, still believed that you wouldn't betray me like that. I was committed to you. I left school, I left my family, friends, everyone behind to help you out. I've spend months on the run, fighting, searching, freezing and nearly starving… My family took you in, we've been watched all the time. And you stabbed me in the back. The only thing that really mattered to me and you had to take it. You dated my sister! You begged me to date her and then you dumped her being all heroic and whatever and the first moment I'm not around, you hit on my girlfriend? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Ron started shouting and Harry shook his head.

"You left, Ron. You left and she was devastated. She cried all night, she stopped eating…" Harry started explaining, but Ron exploded, punching Harry so hard, he felt his nose break.

"SO IT'S MY FAULT? I WAS GONE ONE FREAKING WEEK AND YOU ALREADY HIT ON HERMIONE? AS IF YOU'VE JUST BEEN WAITING FOR ME TO DISAPPEAR SO THAT YOU COULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF HER…"

Harry didn't fight back, he took one blow after the other, until his whole face was bloody and swollen.

"I trusted you, I trusted you, because you were my friend. I saved your fucking life and this is how you thank me?" Ron finally asked low, breathing hard, still holding Harry's sweater as if he was just about to punch him one more time. He didn't. Instead he let go and Harry sank down on the floor, bleeding.

"Why didn't she tell me?" Ron finally asked.

Harry tried to take a deep breath, but it hurt too much.

"Because she knew you'd go rogue." A soft voice said reproachful.

Ginny sat down in front of Harry and took her wand. With a couple of spells his nose was fine and the bleeding had stopped.

Ron had turned around, his hands on his hips, his posture stiff.

"You need to leave." He finally said, looking at Harry, who nodded in reply. He had known this would happen. Ginny shook her head.

"Don't be silly, Ron, he can't just leave. And you're not in a position to throw him out!" Ginny spit angry and Harry took her hand with the wand she'd raised towards her brother.

"Gin…, don't. He's right. I need to leave." Harry looked Ron in the eyes when he said: "I'm sorry. For hurting you."

He didn't wait for a reply, but disapparated before Ginny could even try to stop him.

Only moments later, Harry was standing in front of Grimmauld Place number 12. He would ask Ginny to send his clothes and stuff over, but for now he didn't need much. He'd never felt so lonely. Even during the war, when he'd been hiding and running and wondering if he'd survive, he'd never been this lonely. With Hermione and Ron gone, for the first time in years, Harry felt like his 10 year old self that was locked in the cupboard under the stairs.

ooooo

Ginny looked at the spot where Harry had been standing just a minute ago and sighed. She had tears in her eyes.

"How can you even talk to him? How can you protect him and be kind? You love him, don't you?" Ron asked husky, his blue eyes set on the brown ones from his sister.

"I do. But that's exactly the reason why I want him to be happy. And the one that makes him happy is Hermione, not me. We don't have any claim to their love, Ron. We can't control who we fall in love with. And technically, neither you and Hermione, nor Harry and I have been together when they hooked up."

Ron snorted angry.

"Mione and I were as good as together! And then I left and she turned to Harry, as if she's just been waiting for a chance to be with the Chosen One…"

Ginny sighed annoyed.

"Will you stop talking bullshit, Ron Weasley? You have treated Hermione like shit! You want to be honest, ok, then you have to be able to take it. You've hooked up with Lavender just to annoy her. You have ignored her, hurt her and mistreated her countless times. And at the same time you were jealous like crazy whenever another guy noticed that she is loveable. And when you finally started to show your feelings and open up, you prick decided to leave and left them behind. You knew it would break Mione's heart, you knew Harry would be devastated. They could have been killed and you wouldn't have known, because you haven't been strong enough to cope with the situation. And now you stand here and complain about being betrayed because the girl you are in love with was finally tired of you being an ass and noticed that there was a cute, reliable guy right next to her. No girl would take your shit forever, Ron. You brought all this upon yourself. And now you have to live with the consequences. WE have to live with the consequences." Ginny finally whispered and for a long time, none of them said anything at all. The house was eerily quiet.

"She should have told me." Ron finally said low, and Ginny nodded, taking his hand.

"Yes, she should have told you."

Author's note:

Here is finally chapter 7. Sorry that it took so long to update, I was crazy busy. Hopefully I will have more time from now on :-)

Thanks for your reviews and opinions. One of you was afraid Hermione wouldn't come back and her goodbye letter would actually really be a goodbye. I'm sorry if the last chapter made this impression, it wasn't my intention. Of course Hermione plans to come back. She wanted to give Ron and Harry some time to be able to work things out and concentrate on their friendship. However, Harry didn't really have a chance, because Ron was being an idiot – again. That's why, in the end he decides to just leave and be honest and to let Ron decide if he wants to keep up the friendship or not. I hope you like the chapter and have a good time reading it. Sorry if there are mistakes, it's been a long day^^