Ron's shout woke the baby, which angered Fleur significantly. She started spewing off sentences in French as she picked up her child and brought him upstairs. Everyone was on their feet except for Molly, who sat stubbornly in her seat on the couch. Ron's face was almost as red as his hair and his fists were balled into tight fists, making his knuckles whiter than ever. He brandished his wand with his right hand while his left hand hung closely to his side.
"Have you all gone MAD! Having a death eater in the house!" Ron continued to yell, pointing his wand at Draco.
"He is not a death eater Ron." Harry answered, meeting his tone but not his stance.
"Oh I'm sorry, former death eater, my mistake." Ron spat.
"That will be enough Ronald." Molly said, standing for the first time. Ron faltered at the sight of his mother, but didn't quite back down.
"You let him in here mum?" Ron asked, his tone in check but obviously still on edge.
"As a matter of fact, I invited him." Molly answered tersely.
"WHAT" Ron's rage was back up top again, spinning around now to face Hermione. "Nothing shouts low self esteem like dating someone you know hates you." Ron spat at her, and before Hermione could react Draco had his wand at Ron's neck.
"If you think for one second that I will stand here while you berate her…" Draco seethed, stepping back so that he still had the upper hand but it wasn't as threatening.
"There's the arrogant prick I've always known." Ron said with humor in his voice.
"I am not doing this with you Weasley." Draco responded firmly.
"Oh no? Seems like you are doing something." Ron taunted, looking at Draco's wand aimed at his throat.
"A mere reaction to you're bullocks behavior." Draco sneered and Ron's wand twitched in his hand.
"Expelliarmus!" Harry said from behind Draco, and Ron's wand went sailing out of his hand and into Harry's. Draco automatically dropped his wand to his side, which seemed to surprise Ron.
"Lost your nerve have ya?" Ron taunted.
"You wish Weasley." Draco answered stiffly. Hermione touched Draco's arm and she felt him instantly relax a bit. He took a step back to join her once more, and she wrapped her arms around his.
"Ron, you aren't acting like yourself." Harry started, handing Ron's wand to Ginny and stepping towards his best friend.
"ME?!" Ron bellowed. "You lot are the one's that are losing it. Playing house with the devil.." He shot a look at Hermione. "Defending him…" He looked at Harry now. "...and inviting the devil into your home." He looked at his parents as he finished, looking rather undone.
"He's not the devil Ron…" Ginny started slowly, knowing any minute Ron could blow up once more. "... a lot has changed since the war."
"A war WE fought in and sacrificed people we love for…" Ron's voice caught, clearly thinking about Fred. "...because of people like him!" Ron spat the last word.
"You're right." Draco said softly, and Hermione started to object but saw the look on his face and stopped. "You're right. My family played a huge terrible part in that war, and for that I am sorry, but I am not my father." Draco said, meeting Ron's eyes which were still fired with rage.
"You could have fooled me." Ron spat back at him.
"Well that was what I was trying to do." Draco said evenly, and Ron looked rather confused. "I spent my entire life trying to pretend to be the guy you think I am."
"And everyone just believes this rubbish?" Ron asked the group, who nodded silently. "After all he's done, you just believe him..and YOU!" Ron rounded on Harry. "You swore to me your testifying for him didn't change your views on him, that you were doing it because of his mother helping you out." Ron's voice was steadily climbing. Draco flinched at his words. He knew that Harry helping him straight out of the war was suspicious, but he wasn't exactly in a place to question it. It made sense that he'd do it because of his mother's actions, but it stung to think that Harry hadn't seen any of the things he claimed in court that day.
"I didn't swear to you Ron, let's not be dramatic." Harry answered flatly. "You were insufferable, you couldn't even see the simple facts in front of your face. He didn't kill Dumbledore, he didn't give us away at the manor and he didn't fight with them in the final battle. Those are facts, and you couldn't see them. So I let you think whatever you needed to think, so that you would leave me alone about it." Harry's voice never rose or fell, but was a perfect even tone. Ron's face was contorting back into manic anger, and George spoke for the first time.
"Ron you don't have to like him, but you need to stop acting like a caged animal everytime you see him." George said firmly, and for the first time, without any humor in his tone.
"So now I'm the animal? You lot really need to sort out your priorities."
"You know what Ron, yes you are an animal." George said angrily, stepping towards him now. "You haven't seen your family for weeks, what's the excuse huh?" Ron went pale, and this enraged George even more. "None right? But that's normal and okay because you were part of the golden trio your whole life huh? That cannot define your life, it cannot excuse you mistreating people Ron. The same way, that being a bully cannot define his whole life!" George's voice rose with every word, nobody had ever heard him talk like this to anyone. "And I disagree with Harry actually, you are acting just like yourself. An entitled jealous little boy who can't control his emotions long enough to save himself from looking like an arse. If you can't be civil, than go home…I've had enough." George finished nose to nose with his brother. Everyone around them was stunned into silence by this display of anger from George. Angelina walked up and tenderly put her hand on his shoulder after a long pause he took a few steps back to meet Angelina.
"So you're all choosing him then?" Ron blurted out, still rather angry.
"That's what you got from that?" Hermione asked angrily, shaking her head dramatically.
"Ron dear…" Molly started, walking up to him and placing her hand on his cheek. "Nobody is choosing anything but peace and forgiveness, and I would think I raised you to know how to achieve both." Molly said tenderly and Ron looked like himself for the first time, but it didn't last long. His face hardened after a moment, and he took a step back.
"I'm sorry mum…" He mumbled and left with a POP. Everyone was silent for a long moment, not knowing what to say about what just happened. "Well…he'll come around, come on everyone snap out of it." Molly said, spinning around to face the group. She did a good job at hiding it, but it was clear she was upset.
"Well I think we better get going…" Draco started.
"No Draco, you don't have to." Molly said sweetly, but Draco wanted nothing more than to go back to his flat.
"I know Mrs Weasley, I really do. You've been so kind and welcoming to me, but it's been a rather long day." Draco said kindly, and he felt Hermione's hand slip into his.
"Well do come back dear, you are always welcome." Molly called as they stepped into the floo and disappeared from sight.
"I'll be back." Arthur said quickly and left with a POP before anyone could object. It was clear he was going to find Ron.
"He's really lost it…" Harry mumbled softly.
"He's jealous and heartbroken." Molly answered.
"Oh come off it mum!" Ginny chimed in, getting a glare from her mother. "Ron is the entire reason that relationship didn't work out."
"I'm not disagreeing, but that doesn't mean he didn't love her." Molly said softly.
"Well then he should have treated her as such." Ginny snapped, and Harry put his hand over hers.
"Agreed, but love blinds Gin, you should know." Molly said pointedly, looking at the couple.
Ginny was filled with rage for her brother's actions, so much so, that she couldn't fathom why anyone went to look for him. He made his bed, now it's time to lie in it. She could understand his hatred for Draco, but it was the venom he had in his voice that was uncalled for. You would think after everything they'd all been through, that he'd trust at least one of their judgements. Ginny wasn't a huge fan of Draco at first either. She didn't understand how Harry could put all those years behind them so quickly. It took multiple exposures to Draco for her to settle in a bit. He really was so different from their school years, how could he not be with all that happened. Even now she wouldn't say that all is forgotten, but she was a big believer in actions are louder than words. Draco's actions are what made Harry testify on his behalf. His action to not kill Dumbledore, his action to pretend he wasn't sure of who they were in the Manor and his action to fight on the good side. There have been so many actions since then that prove Harry to have been right. From what Ginny heard at the trial, Draco was actively trying to prevent blood purest behaviors and had enough empathy to send Neville's parents healing flowers. If someone would have told her that last sentence was about Draco Malfoy, she would have had that person admitted for a psych eval. She chuckled to herself lightly, laughing at her own thoughts.
Harry, George and Bill were having a spirited discussion about what to do about Ron. George wanted to have him committed, while Bill thought a good beating would do, but Harry was trying to tell them that this behavior wasn't completely out of character for Ron. He explained to them what happened while the trio was on the road, and even how Ron acted back in their fourth year. George and Bill didn't seem to believe him, but weren't exactly arguing either. Ginny was just about to join in when two loud POPS came from the kitchen. Moments later Arthur busted into the living room, with an aggravated Ron in tow.
"At least the prick isn't here." Ron spat, looking around the room.
"That's enough." Arthur reprimanded, catching Ron off guard. "I know you are heartbroken over Hermione, but your behavior is getting out of hand."
"That's not what his behavior is about." Ginny said gruffly, causing Arthur to look at her questioningly. "I'm pregnant and he can't handle it."
"Excu-" Ron started, but Ginny cut him off
"Ron, I've had enough." Ginny spat back. "You were upset when Hermione broke things off, sure you were, but you were more upset when everyone found out. Don't you DARE try to correct me!" Ginny yelled as Ron went to speak. "She broke up with you and it took weeks before people started to find out. We SAW you multiple times and you were a little sad, but fine. It wasn't until the world found out that you were suddenly heartbroken. You even forced Hermione to tell the Daily Prophet it was amicable, because you couldn't handle anyone knowing it wasn't. Fast forward and you find out I'm pregnant, and it's suddenly all about you again. You can't handle the fact that Harry is achieving something without you again. The boy who lived, now living his life without you. It enrages you, but mostly, it upsets you. Go ahead, tell me I'm wrong." Ginny finished, arms crossed over her chest. Ron was silent.
"I can't change the way my brain works Gin." Ron said softly, and sat on the couch. "It's too much for me, to see her with someone else and I'm not even on the market."
"Try again." Ginny said firmly, not letting him fake his way through this conversation.
"Okay so yea I've been in Harry's shadow for a long time, so when I was with Hermione, we finally felt even. Like we were going through the same things on a daily basis. So when she pulled the rug out from under me…"
"Which didn't happen, but okay." Ginny interjected, which Ron ignored.
"...I suddenly felt like his sidekick again, always one step behind. Then you announced you were pregnant…"
"Loads of time in between those two things, but okay." Ginny interjected again, and was ignored for the second time.
"...it just made it that much worse." Ron finished, fidgeting slightly.
"So what's the game plan? Because it can't be this." Ginny asked. It seemed like everyone was letting Ginny take the lead on this.
"I need to talk to Hermione." Ron said firmly.