I'm continuing this after years of hiatus. I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 11

And Now to Rebuild

"I'm a murderer." It was a simple statement. A statement said so softly, Ron wondered if it had been said at all. And yet- it broke Ron's heart.

"Harry, you aren't a murderer. You are a saviour," Ron said softly, pulling Harry closer to his chest. He kissed Harry's cheek and breathed in the scent of his hair. Then scooted back and laid on his back, pulling Harry so that he'd turn around and lay across Ron's chest. Harry reluctantly followed Ron's lead, glad he'd taken a shower.

"No, Ron. I killed a person. I used the killing curse and I didn't even flinch. I wanted him dead, Ron. What kind of a person wants another person dead? I'm just as bad as Tom Riddle himself."

"Are you saying that no one else- not my family or Hermione or Lupin- killed anyone during the battle?" Ron asked rather pointedly.

"That's beside the point," Harry answered grumpily after a moment of silence.

Ron chuckled, pulling Harry's hair away from his forehead so that he could kiss his scar. "Don't be daft, Harry. Hermione told me that my mum killed Bellatrix Lestrange. I'd bet a hundred galleons that she wanted that loathsome woman dead, too. I wouldn't, in any light, consider my mum a murderer. Would you?"

Harry sighed heavily and looked up at Ron. "No."

"Brilliant. So we've solved that bit," Ron responded with a smile. Harry put his head back down on Ron's chest and closed his eyes, wanting to just fall asleep. He couldn't, though. There was still so much left to be said. So he sat up and pulled away from Ron, bringing his knees up to his chin and taking a deep breath.

"You left me."

Three words, so small, whispered so quietly, and yet Ron felt the sudden need to be sick and cry and scream all at the same time. He sat up and crossed his legs, looking directly at Harry, who wouldn't meet his gaze. "I did."

"You're going back, aren't you. To wherever you live now," Harry said flatly, still not looking up at Ron.

"I am." Ron answered simply.

Harry put his cheek down on his knee and stared at the wall. He closed his eyes tight. "Where do you live, now?"

"It's a city called Everwood, Colorado. It's in America." Ron watched as Harry nodded his head slowly, still facing the wall with his eyes closed. "I'll be going back soon. I have a flat and a job and I've still got things to take care of. But I'll come visit every day, I swear it."

"Can I come live with you? Get away from this place. Away from magic, if I can," Harry asked. The tone in his voice was determined and he finally looked Ron right in the eye.

"Of course you can, Harry. Where I live is a Muggle town and I don't actually do much magic," Ron explained. Inside, he was starting to feel nervous. This would prove to be very difficult if he wanted to keep Harry in the dark about his sickness. He could do it, though. He could try.

"You're bringing him back? Honestly, Ronald! If he will be living with you in America, you need to tell him!" Hermione insisted when Ron explained what had happened the day before. Ron shook his head and looked Hermione square in the eye.

"No. Absolutely not. He can't know. I'll tell the whole town to keep it quiet if I have to, but Harry will learn nothing of it!"

Hermione glared at Ron and didn't blink, trying to get him to see the reality of the situation. Harry would be living with Ron- there would be no way to keep the illness a secret. Ron glared right back, his anger exuding off of his body and out of his eyes. Hermione shook her head and sighed, releasing their glare and relaxing her body.

"Fine. But it won't be easy, Ron. I just don't understand why it has to be a secret," Hermione said softly.

"It's my decision. I don't want pity, and I don't want him to be worried. It's my burden, Hermione."

"Yeah, Cam, I'll be back tomorrow," Ron explained to his American flatmate over the telephone that Hermione was letting him use. She only usually used it for her parents, but she understood his need to use it for this situation. "Look, I'm bringing Harry back with me…"

"Cool, yeah, he can sleep on our couch. I can't wait to meet him!" Cam responded enthusiastically from the other side of the line. Ron took a deep breath and closed his eyes, pinching the top of his nose. This was awkward.

"Yeah, err, Harry'll probably be sleeping in my room…with me."

There was a small moment of silence, in which, Ron assumed, Cam was putting it all together.

"Oh, okay. Yeah, man, that's cool. I'm sorry, dude, I didn't know. That's cool though, I'm sure that our couch is like so uncomfortable," Cam responded, his voice genuine.

Ron let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. "There's one other thing, mate. Harry doesn't know about me, I mean about Jeremy and everything,"

"Not a problem! I'll let everyone around town know to shut their traps!" Cam responded without missing a beat. "Hey, man, Amanda wants to talk to you. That cool?"

Ron smiled. "Yeah, mate. Thanks so much,"

Cam chuckled. "Dude, I'm just happy you're coming back. I had a weird feeling you'd be gone for good. I'll see you tomorrow! Travel safely!"

"Ron! How are you? How's Harry? You're coming back!" Amanda's voice rang into Ron's ear. In another circumstance he might be annoyed, but at this moment he welcomed the sound.

"Yeah! We'll be there tomorrow. He's decided he wants to live with me, needs to get away from everything here, you know,"

"Absolutely! I can't wait to meet him! I miss you so much! How are you?"

"Knackered. I'm probably going to try to get some sleep soon. I can't wait to see you, too,"

Amanda laughed. "Get some sleep, Ron. You have a long day of travels ahead of you. Cam and I will be waiting with a fresh meal when you boys get here tomorrow,"

Ron laughed lightly, remembering that the Muggle way to get from London to Colorado was to fly. He shook his head and said his goodbyes before hanging up and heading up to his bedroom. Harry was in the shower across the hall, so Ron slipped into bed to take a nap while he waited for his friend. He felt overwhelmed and nervous. This was going to be a long roller-coaster ride, but Ron hoped with all his might that it would be worth it.

Change in POV

At the time, I was nervous. I didn't know what to expect. Deep down I knew that true love is never happy. I had a hard time admitting it, though. And so I let him move in with me in Everwood, convinced that my secret would stay just that. But my sickness just kept getting worse. And you can only hide something like that for so long. And so once again, the story continues.