Chapter 6

Ron buckled into a nearby chair, grinning at the familiarity of the place.

Ginny's home was almost an exact replica as the home they had grown up in. Books were cluttered around the house, children toys mixed up in the mess. Pots and pans were stacked in corners while clothes dangled from irregular places. Ginny was rushing from spot to spot, cooking the soup, making sure Tim didn't eat the Mimbulus Mimbletonia and yelling at her older brother all at once.

"Just because you were mad didn't give you the right to shout at her!!" Ginny snapped angrily. "Timmy, no leave that alone! Did you even consider that she had a story to tell you!"

Ron glowered at his sis. Out of all the people he had expected to side against him, Ginny would had been the last on his list.

"I'm sure she did have a story," he snarled, "But that didn't matter."

"Oh yes it did!" Ginny stirred the broth so hard, that crumbs of meat flew out. "Trust me, if you would had listened, we wouldn't be arguing right now."

"And why does listening have to do with anything?"

"It has to do with everything!" Ginny shot Ron a gaze of utter hatred before returning to her supper preparations. "Listen, she told me everything. From why her parents forced her to disappear, to why she returned yesterday."

"Well, I'm sure that was somewhat entertaining." Ron said in a sarcastic tone of voice.

Ginny turned and faced him. Her face no longer held the anger that it did a few minutes ago, but a sort of sadness. Her eyes were packed with unmistakable tears, and her shoulders held a small droop.

"Oh you may think that it is amusing," she said wearily, "But trust me it isn't. If only you knew, Ron, but obviously you don't want to know, so I am just going to leave it at that."

Ginny turned around again as Ron lost himself in a cluster of thoughts.

What did she mean, if only you knew, Ron? Why did she say that her parents forced her to disappear? What on earth was Ginny talking about?

"What did you mean," Ron asked gently, "When you said her parents forced her to disappear?"

Ginny looked at him. This time, all her tears were drifting downwards.

"I think you need to ask her that." Ginny murmured.

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Hermione twisted the pillow into a pretzel, her depression getting the best of her as she threw it across the room.

Joey stared at his mommy in puzzlement. He sensed something was wrong, seeing that she had never acted like this before.

"Meme pwa?" Joey whispered.

Hermione pulled her tearstained face off another pillow to glare at Joey.

"No Joey," she said harshly, "I do not want to play. Go play by yourself."

Joey watched his mother in bewilderment as he whimpered, "Meme o pwa?"

"That's right." Hermione snapped angrily, pushing Joey towards her bedroom door. "Now go away!"

Now it was Joey's turn to cry. As silent tears poured from his eyes, Joey shuffled out the door.

Hermione, realizing the hurt she had caused in Joey, tried to call him back.

"Joey, Joey please come back. I didn't mean it!" But Joey didn't appeared.

"Damn!" Hermione threw her second pillow at the wall, which fell close to the first. She shouldn't have taken her anger out on Joey. It wasn't his fault that she was a liar, sneak, and a self-centered bitch. If anything, she was angry with herself and Ron.

"Damn you Ron." She cursed under her breath. Why, when George had specifically promised that he would be back next week, did he have to turn up today?

"GO TO HELL RON!!!!!" she roared, her anger getting the better of her at last as she flung her head into her third and final pillow.

"Well, I don't know. After earlier today, it feels like I have been through hell and back."

Hermione flinched at the male sound, but her heart had other ideas as it started beating uncontrollably. Spinning her face out of her pillow, Hermione scowled at the man standing in her doorway.

"What are you doing here?" she sneered.

Ron merely shrugged.

"Let's just say, Ginny didn't give me very much of a choice. When I asked her she just said to ask you, so here I am."

"Really?" Hermione retorted. "And what was it that she wanted you to ask me about?"

"Where you were these past years."

Hermione stared into Ron's innocent, auburn eyes. She could feel her wall of security, protection that she had placed around her son and herself strip away under his gaze, piece by piece.

"And exactly why do you want to know?" Hermione asked, suspicion rising within her.

"Well lets see," Ron sank his chin into his hands, pretending to think. "You are the mother of my son, you use to be my precious girlfriend, and you were someone I use to care a lot about. Is that enough?"

Hermione felt the bottom of her heart drop open when Ron said, "use to".

"So he apparently doesn't care about me any longer." Hermione thought cynically. "He just wants to know about his son and that's it. Well, two can play this game."

Hermione clasped her hands into fits as she stood up.

"And what if I don't tell you?" she challenged him. Hermione silently noted that he was over six feet, as he towered over her.

Ron laughed.

"Well if you don't want to tell me, fine." He chuckled, making Hermione's fury rise. "But I think we should start over and be friends, at least if you want to."

Ron held out his hand. Hermione stared at it, as if it carried some kind of unknown virus. Finally, but with extreme unwilling, she shook his hand.

Hermione jerked as a type of electricity shot up her arm. Stumbling backwards, Hermione didn't realize that she had tripped over her own, two, clumsy feet until she felt air hurrying past her and a brawny hand on her back.

"Are you OK?" Ron watched Hermione carefully, apparently searching her for signs of an injury.

Hermione shrugged him off, her back burning where he had placed his hand only moments before.

"Yes, I'm fine." Hermione struggled to not look into Ron's face. It was bad enough that he was here, but now he was causing strangle things to happen inside her and she didn't like it. She didn't like it at all.

"Well you should probably be going home."

Ron observed her as if she had said she was crazy.

"I don't think so." He said indignantly. "I am not taking one foot away from you and Joey until I think we fill ourselves with some of Florean Fortescue's famous ice cream!"

"Excuse me, you are not Joey's legal guardian here!" Hermione snapped, "You do not get to choose what Joey gets to do!"

"Yea but I am his father." Ron argued. "So, how about it?"

"But it's past his bedtime!" Hermione protested, glancing at a clock.

"Only this once."

Hermione was about to argue, but a shriek of glee outside the room settled the matter.

"Well, I guess that is determined." Ron said contentedly as he walked out of the room.

Hermione groaned.

"Why me?!" she asked the wall. Getting no response, Hermione groaned once more and left the room.