It's taken a week, but chapter four is finally here.
CHAPTER FOUR: CONFESSIONS AND REALIZATIONS
"Ron, did you get the question on muggle buying behaviour?"
Ron looked up to see Lavender Brown leaning on the edge of the table in the Gryffindor common room where he had his homework sprawled over. He was somewhat surprised to see her standing there. Sure, she had found reasons to start conversations with him in recent weeks, but he really hadn't expected her to ask for help from him, of all people. Nevertheless, he showed her his notes.
"I just finished that one," he said to her.
She quickly read his answer. "Thanks,"
"No problem,"
He expected her to go away after that, but she stayed right where she was.
"Snape was worse than his usual cruel self today," she remarked.
"I didn't notice. It's hard to tell when he's being more of a prick then usual,"
"Tell me about it," she said with a laugh. "A few more months and I'll never have to see his greasy face again…. Are you going to Hogsmeade tomorrow?"
"Yeah," Ron said with a nod.
"I guess I'll see you there," she said and walked back to her group of friends huddled by the fire.
Ron turned back to his own work, but not before he caught the look being sent in his direction. "What?"
"That was pretty obvious, Ron," Harry said to him.
"What was obvious?"
"She was flirting with you and you were flirting right back," Harry informed him.
"So?"
"So, you have a girlfriend, unless you've forgotten,"
"Thanks, Harry. You know, because I almost forgot I was dating Hermione," Ron remarked sarcastically. "Is it a crime to talk to another girl? I've seen you do it enough times, and have I ever once reminded you about your commitment to my sister?"
"Ron, what I'm saying is you don't know what it means when Lavender or one of her friends start taking an interest in you,"
A light went on in Ron's head. "You're jealous. That's what this is about, isn't it? For six years Harry Potter was the center of the Hogwarts universe, and now people – namely girls – are starting to notice me and you don't like it,"
"You don't get it, do you Ron?" Harry said, restraining himself from saying a few choice words that had popped into his head. "It took you nearly dying last year for some of these people to notice you. Sure, you're a celebrity now. You helped me save the school from Voldermort and everyone praised you as a hero. People like you because of what you did, not who you are. Hermione's been there for you since the beginning. She was your friend before any of this happened,"
"You make it sound like I'm breaking up with her,"
"Are you?"
"Jesus, Harry, of course I'm not. I've waited years to be with her. She's the best thing that ever happened to me. I'm not going to screw that up,"
When Harry walked into Ron's flat he knew right away something was wrong.
"What are you doing?" Harry asked him.
"Just thinking about some stuff," Ron said from his spot on the couch.
"What's wrong?"
"What makes you think there's something wrong?"
Harry indicated to the bottle in his hand. "Because that's the only time you drink muggle beer. You said you hate the stuff,"
"So, that was a dead giveaway, huh?" He took another drink and shook his head. "I really thought Hermione and I were over everything that had happened in the past. I guess I was wrong,"
Harry fell into the armchair across from him. "It went that bad?"
Ron told him about what happened at the café.
"I'm sorry, Ron,"
"Don't be. You're not the one who's a major screw up. What gets me so mad is not because she said it, but because she's right. I haven't changed since Hogwarts. My fiancée is an editor for the Daily Prophet and I don't even have a job. And I think there's a time limit on how long you can stay mad at someone. God, I'm twenty-three years old and I'm still relying on – no, expecting – Hermione to be there whenever I need her,"
"What are you going to do?"
"I don't know," Ron said with a shrug. "I have to talk to her, but I can't do that right now,"
He glanced at his watch and swore.
"What?"
"I'm late. I'm supposed to meet Gillian for dinner," he told Harry, before going into his room to change quickly.
"Ron, you might want to try looking a little happier, otherwise Gillian's going to ask you what's wrong," Harry said him.
Ron didn't bother with a reply as he closed the door behind him.
Harry shook his head and walked into the kitchen to grab himself something to eat. He hadn't realized just how much of an issue the past still was for them. Maybe he shouldn't have been so adamant in forcing Hermione to agree to Ron's plan. Perhaps he had been hoping they had both grown up and moved on. He should have known better. This was Ron and Hermione he was talking about. They had been fighting over every little thing since the first time they'd met each other.
The buzzer on the door rang then, and Harry wondered what Ron had forgotten. But why he hadn't just used his key was beyond Harry. Harry opened the door but it wasn't Ron standing there – it was a Weasley, however.
"Ron's not here," Harry told her.
"That's okay. I kinda came here to see you," said Ginny awkwardly.
"Look, Ginny, I really don't want to fight with you. So why don't you just go back – "
"I don't want to fight, Harry. I just want to talk,"
He found that hard to believe, but regardless of that fact, he invited her in. She followed him into the kitchen, politely declining his offer of something to drink.
"Have you seen my brother since this morning?"
"Yeah," he answered. "Am I right in assuming you've talked to Hermione?"
Ginny nodded.
Neither of them said anything for a while, until Ginny broke the silence. "I think she still loves him,"
Harry shrugged. "I guess when you really care about someone, it's hard to get over them,"
"I know about Romania," she blurted out.
Harry looked at her as if she just told him she had the plague, before he recovered enough to speak. "Gin, I don't know what you're talking about,"
"Harry, I know about the dark wizards and what they did to you,"
"You don't know what you're talking about," he tried to convince her.
She hesitated before speaking. Hermione was going to kill her. "Hermione told me last night,"
Harry was shaking his head. "She can't know that either,"
"But she does, Harry. A long time ago a report landed on her desk with your name on it and she read it. She never told anyone about it until now,"
"What the hell was she thinking, reading it?" He fumed. "And then telling you about it. That's classified,"
"After she told me, I needed to see it for myself," Ginny said, staring down at the ground, ashamed.
Harry looked horrified. "Gin, you didn't,"
"I did. I went with my dad to the Ministry today. He thought it was because I wanted to give him a hand, but it was the perfect opportunity to look for the file without anyone around,"
Harry was growing angrier by the second. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you could have gotten your dad in if you were caught? What about Hermione? If anyone finds out what she did, no matter how long about it was, she could lose her job,"
"I know that, and that's why I was careful. I haven't told anyone what she told me,"
Harry couldn't believe this. She was actually trying to justify what she had done.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"When should I have done that? During one of the few moments you weren't hating me to my face? You know that most of the stuff I do I can't talk about,"
"It happened after we broke up, didn't it?"
"What difference does it make?"
"I don't know,"
"No, the answer is it makes no difference," he corrected her. "I do my job knowing what could happen. But I do it because its what I do. You could never understand that and I made a fatal mistake one time letting you come with me on a routine operation in France where I was only supposed to pick up some information and you nearly got killed,"
"I told you I could take care of myself,"
"I still shouldn't have listened to you," he said. "And I don't need you coming over here because you feel sorry for me. People have been doing that since before I was born, and I don't want your pity or sympathy or whatever your feeling. Romania was no different then any other assignment I've done over the years. I lived through it and moved on. If I hadn't I'd be dead right now,"
"How can you act like it was nothing? Harry, I read the report. I saw the pictures. I can only imagine what you must have gone through,"
Harry was done listening. "Ginny, please go,"
She blinked. He was kicking her out? "I'm only trying – "
"Get out," he said more forcibly this time. "And don't bring this up ever again,"
He wouldn't even look at her now.
Ginny had to show herself to the door. She was in a state of shock. She had come there thinking that she would follow Hermione's advice and be understanding and forgive him. But he didn't want that. He had thrown her out because even now, he still had problems opening up to people and letting them in. It was a persona Ginny had seen him use many times. But Ginny knew underneath that act he was just as fragile as the next person.
Next Chapter: We finally meet Gillian.
It might take another week for chapter five, if I get as much homework as I got last week. I thank everyone in advance for their patience.