A/N: I think I'm probably going to work on just this story for a while because I can feel the end nearing, so yea . . . Hope you like this chapter!

Chapter 13

Blustering

While feeding Bugger, Ron had more than enough time to reflect on the events of the past hours. Suddenly, it struck him; he had told the bloody muggle that he loved Hermione!

"Damn it!" he hollered, allowing his hand to collide with his forehead in a resounding smack. "I'm such an idiot!"

There was a knock at the door, and Ron jumped in surprise. He sprung up from his bed and went to open it, coming face-to-face with Harry in the process. "Hi," he said breathlessly, holding the door so that it wouldn't be opened more than necessary. "Did you need something?" he asked quickly.

Harry tried to peer around him into the room. "Uh . . . I just . . ." Ron moved to the left. Harry moved his head to the right. Ron moved to the right. Harry gave him a puzzled look. Ron smiled brightly. "I think I've been kind of hard on you lately, and I wanted to . . ." Ron's face hurt from forcing his grin. "Apologize . . . Because I know it's probably hard for you to . . ." Ron glanced over his shoulder nervously. "Uh . . . Is something wrong?"

Ron glanced back again. "No! What makes you think something's wrong!" he replied too quickly.

Harry looked at him curiously. "Seriously, what's in your room?"

Ron's eyes widened. "Nothing!" His voice was high-pitched now. "I mean, nothing but my bed and stuff-"

Harry narrowed his eyes. "Ron."

"-And my clothes and my desk and my trunk-"

Harry stared at him grimly. "Ron."

"It's not like I wanted it to follow me home!" Ron cried, breaking under Harry's scrutinizing glare and stepping away from the door.

Harry stared in shock at the slightly damp kitten cleaning its whiskers on Ron's bed. "A cat?"

"It wouldn't leave me alone," Ron muttered guiltily. "So, I let it in."

Harry burst into laughter.

"What's so funny?" Ron asked heatedly.

"I thought you hated cats!" Harry exclaimed, still guffawing at the situation.

"Well-I-I'm not evil, Harry. I mean, it was raining, and, after all, it's just a little cat," Ron blustered.

Harry slapped his knee cheerfully. "Well, this takes the cake, Ron. Trying to impress Hermione by taking in a lost kitten. Very nice." He smirked at Ron in jest.

Ron turned red. "I wasn't! It's just! I-"

"No need to explain, mate. You can keep it." Harry turned to leave the room.

Ron strode after him. "That's just it! I don't want to keep it! I'll just wait until it stops raining-"

"What's its name?" Harry asked knowingly.

"Bugger," Ron answered automatically.

Harry nodded and began walking out the door.

Ron realized his blunder and followed him. "No, wait! Just because I named him doesn't-"

POP! Harry had disappeared. Ron sighed and went back into his room.

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Tom sat quietly in the sitting room, not sure why Harry was being so cold to him so suddenly. Maybe it had something to do with his question about how Ron was brought back to life. He would have to ask.

Tom found himself reminiscing on the kiss he and Ginny had shared. It had been quite a while since he had dated, seeing as law school took up a lot of his time, but he was glad he had met Ginny. She really is wonderful he thought contentedly, resting his chin in his palm.

As unexpectedly as it always did, Tom's vision began to blur, and he prepared himself for one of his typical "visions."

What appeared to be a heap of purple cloth on a marble table burst into white flames before Tom's eyes. His view swerved around to view two individuals he happened to know as Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley, only they were younger-looking. Ginny's face was streaked with tears, and Harry's was pale but hard-set into a look of resolution. "Ginny, listen . . ." he whispered as people around them began to stand. "I can't be involved with you anymore. We've got to stop seeing each other. We can't be together."

Ginny forced a wan smile, though she looked like she understood. "It's for some stupid, noble reason, isn't it?"

Harry's face showed something like regret, but his decided air didn't change. "It's been like . . . like something out of someone else's life, these last few weeks with you," he muttered. "But I can't . . . we can't . . . I've got things to do alone now." Ginny watched him, as if analyzing every word he was saying. "Voldemort uses people his enemies are close to. He's already used you as bait once, and that was just because you're my best friend's sister. Think how much danger you'll be in if we keep this up. He'll know, he'll find out. He'll try and get to me through you."

"What if I don't care?" Ginny asked intensely.

"I care," Harry declared gently. "How do you think I'd feel if this was your funeral . . . and it was my fault . . ."

Ginny turned away and stared into the distance. "I never really gave up on you," she murmured. "Not really. I always hoped . . . Hermione told me to get on with life, maybe go out with some other people, relax a bit around you, because I never used to be able to talk if you were in the room, remember? And she thought you might take a bit more notice if I was a bit more-myself."

"Smart girl, Hermione," Harry said, attempting a smile. "I just wish I'd asked you sooner. We could've had ages . . . months . . . years maybe . . ."

"But you've been too busy saving the Wizarding world," Ginny said, letting out something like a laugh. "Well . . . I can't-"

"Hey, Tom," Ginny greeted in the real world, breaking Tom's trance.

"GAH!" he cried, jumping up and out of his chair in an effort to get away from the fast-approaching Ginny. He stumbled over an end table and landed himself flat on his back.

Ginny giggled, smiling down at him. "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. You looked a million miles away," she joked.

Tom raised himself up on his elbows, looking for an escape. Why hadn't Hermione told him Ginny used to be Harry's girl! No wonder he was so angry with him after he had walked in on them in the loo!

"Is something the matter?" Ginny asked, staring at him in confusion.

"What? Uh-no! I just-Uh . . . You just surprised me is all," Tom blustered.

Ginny grinned, holding out her hand. "Well, get off the floor then," she said pointedly.

Tom took her hand, almost afraid to get too close to her, for fear that Harry might walk in and cast a spell on him. Then again, Ginny might get suspicious if he suddenly stopped having an attraction toward her, and she might curse him. Boy, was he in a pickle. "Uh, Ginny, I have to go get something real quick," he excused himself, dropping her hand and dashing from the room.

He sprinted up the stairs to the second floor and positioned himself in front of Hermione's door, knocking rapidly on the wood. "Open up," he whispered under his breath. "Please open up."

A/N: The dialogue from Tom's "vision" is directlyfrom Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, for those of you who didn't know. Just wanted to get that cleared up.