CHAPTER 2 Old Wounds

The sun shone through the partly closed curtains of an upstairs window, finally rousing the man sleeping on the bed, his sheets in a tangle, one foot sticking out at the side of his bed, the other near his pillow, while his head was hanging out of the bottom of the bed. His eyes fluttered a few times, before they popped open and a groan left his mouth. He shuffled about in his bed, drawing the sheets up closer to his head and hiding under them from the light. He groaned once more before shaking his head and pushing the sheets away from him. His red hair was tousled and standing up, his eyes barely open and a stubble had formed around his jaw. The man scratched his chin once or twice before rolling over and slowly getting out of bed. He stretched as he stood up, wearing nothing but his shirt and boxers. He stumbled over to the window, opened the curtains a bit and when he saw the bright sun, he quickly slid the curtains closed again. He made his way out of his untidy bedroom, down the stairs until he reached the hallway. He opened a door to the right of him and pulled out a few towels, before making his way down the hall to his small bathroom. After a quick and invigorating shower, which awoke him considerably, with only a towel wrapped around his waist, he was about to head upstairs again, when he heard a knock on his door. Ron shuffled over to the door, opened it a little and when he spotted his sister, he opened the door properly, closing the door behind her.

"Glad to see you're finally up Ron", his sister said with a smirk. "Oh god Ron, don't stand there with only a towel on, I really don't want to see your naked body. Go get dressed and I'll make a cup of tea for us".

"Hello Ginny", Ron said rather gruffly. "You sound more like Mum everyday".

"Well if you won't listen to her, maybe you'll listen to me", she added sweetly, making her way to the tiny kitchen, dropping her coat and bag on a coffee table along the way.

Ron grumbled to himself as he began climbing the stairs, holding tightly to his towel, in case it decided to drop on him.

Still grumbling, Ron came down the stairs this time reasonably dressed in worn jeans and a Chudley Canons shirt with moving logo. His love for Quidditch and the Canons had not changed since his childhood days when he followed their every event with eager anticipation. "So what exactly do you want so early Ginny?" Ron asked as he entered the small kitchen and took out a carton of milk from the fridge.

"What do you mean so early. Ron its one in the afternoon. I've been up since seven", she replied quite surprised.

"Well what do you want?" Ron added gruffly.

"If you're going to talk to me like that I might as well leave. Mum has arranged a large dinner party tomorrow night and she wanted me to go over and let you know."

"I can't Gin, Krista and I are going to dinner then. Can't she have it some other night?"

"Mum is not going to change the time for the dinner party just so you and little Miss Prissy, by the way you're seventh girlfriend in about two years, can have a little nookie time at Mum's expense", Ginny muttered angrily.

"Hey that's now fair!", Ron shouted back almost spilling milk all over him, so angry he was. "Just because you and Mum head the 'Get Me Together with Hermione' campaign, who by the way started that argument all those years ago and decided to ignore me and my letters for the next three years, doesn't mean I can't have other girlfriends".

"Seven in two years? Doesn't that sound a little desperate to you or is it just me, and me and mum are not trying to get you and Hermione together again, we just think you made a very big and stupid mistake by walking out on her", Ginny replied rather calmly. "Anyway", Ginny added getting riled up once again, "In case you haven't noticed Krista is a little odd in the head!".

"Don't you dare insult my girlfriend again Ginny!", Ron said threateningly, his voice quivering with anger. Ginny gulped as she saw her brother so angry. She hadn't seen him like this since his and Hermione's bitter break-up three years beforehand.

"Look I'm sorry Ron", Ginny said rather meekly. "It wasn't fair, but you know how we all loved Hermione and she was my best friend and I lost her because of you and your idiocy. The whole family loved her and we all expected you to always stay together and get married".

"Well looks like you were wrong", Ron sighed as he sat down on one of the chairs. "I thought we would last too, though at the time I was too idiotic to notice how special she was, but that's in the past and its where it should stay. You should move on Ginny, I have, I'm with Krista now and I love her. Hermione is in the past".

"I'm sorry Ron", Ginny replied sitting down on another chair. "I know, just because I don't get on with Krista, doesn't mean she has to be some psycho bitch", she added giggling to herself.

"There that's the Ginny I know", Ron replied grinning.

"Oh before I forget, in case you run into Harry sometime soon tell him he's invited" Ginny replied a small blush creeping up in her cheeks.

Ron looked at his sister incredulously for a minute, adding, "Please god Ginny, don't tell you're still obsessed with Harry".

"No I'm not Ron!" Ginny replied shocked. "Now where's the tea bags?"