CHAPTER 14 Milk And Two Sugar

"Ah I'm so glad to be home now. I feel knackered", Ron sighed as he dumped his cloak on the sofa of Krista's apartment. He made his way over to the nearest sofa and collapsed on it.

"Ron", Krista asked standing still in the doorframe of the living room, "Aren't you going to tell me why you ran off to save Hermione without even giving a backwards glance to me?" "What are you on about?" Ron asked turning to Krista.

"Why did you run off to save your ex-girlfriend, the same one you seem to hate by that fight I just witnessed. Why did you just leave me at your place all on my own?" Krista asked shaking her head.

"Oh Krista you read too much into this", Ron said smiling at her.

"No I don't think I am Ron. Aren't you going to tell me why?"

"Its really not that big of a deal, I mean yeah Hermione was once my girlfriend, but before that we were friends for about seven years. Before that she was my best friend. I couldn't just leave her, no matter how much I don't like her now. She used to be my best friend plus Harry needed my help", Ron replied defensively.

"Well if you can't stand her so much now, why on earth didn't you just leave it in the capable hands of Harry and his Auror team. I mean you're just a Quidditch player, you don't know anything about this sort of thing. I mean that's what the Aurors are there for, so ordinary people don't take the law into their own hands", Krista replied growing rather tired. But as she said this, she realised by the look on Ron's face that she had said something wrong.

"Ordinary people?" Ron asked his voice rising, "Just because I'm a Quidditch player and an ordinary person to you, doesn't mean I can help out a friend and my help was needed!" "That's not what I meant", Krista replied quickly.

"No that's exactly what you meant. You have always been going on like that, like I'm just some common Quidditch player and you're an Auror, an elite with all your money!" Ron shouted.

"Hey come on Ron, I've worked very hard for that money and I never thought you were a commoner!" Krista replied also raising her voice.

"Well you certainly treat me that way, do you really think I like having you flaunt the fact that you have money all the time!" Ron shouted.

"You are completely missing the point here Ron!" Krista shouted back, though then she quickly stopped and shook her head.

"Oh and please god do fill me in on the point", Ron said every word dripping with sarcasm. "I mean not only do you call me a commoner, you then have the cheek to tell me I should leave it in capable hands and that I don't know what I'm doing! Well let me tell you Krista, Harry, Hermione and I grew up in Hogwarts just when the second war began, because of Harry we witnessed more than twenty of your so called expert Aurors and have more experience a piece than the oldest and wisest of Aurors. Krista when it comes to saving friends I know everything!"

"How can you know everything?" Krista asked shrilly. "You're just twenty one coming on twenty two. You're still so young. You can't possibly know everything!"

"You weren't there, watching Voldemort kill one of your teachers right I front of your eyes, you weren't there to see the pain and fear in their eyes. You didn't watch as your best friend nearly got killed by some stupid prophecy, or your other best friend get tortured with the Crucatius Curse until she was near death. You were not subjected to the pain, horror and grief as I was, so don't lecture me on not knowing anything, because I sure as hell have learnt a lot!"

"Oh", was all Krista could say. She looked down at the ground subdued.

"Look lets just drop it", Ron said heavily and got up. "I'm sorry Krista but I done what I thought was right, you know how I am. I never think things through". He walked up to her and gently lifted her head up with his fingers so he could look into her eyes.

"I know, sometimes it feels like I know you for years. Like we kind of belong to each other", Krista replied and Ron smiled.

"Ron, do you ever think about the future?"

"What?" Ron asked looking her hard in the eyes.

"Do you ever think about the future, about us?"

"I don't know, I don't usually worry about the future", Ron replied confused as he sat down on the sofa once more and Krista joined him.

"Don't you ever wonder what will happen to us down the road?"

"No."

"Don't you ever think about things like marriage, a greater committal and having a family some day?"

Ron shifted uncomfortably in his seat and replied, "No not really".

"Don't you ever think about it, I mean you do want to get married some day don't you?"

"Yeah sure, I probably will, but not now", Ron replied growing increasingly uncomfortable.

"No? I've always dreamt of my dream wedding, with lots of people, doves and confetti in the air", Krista said smiling to herself.

"Err, Krista, I should head home now, I have a long day tomorrow", Ron said getting up. "Did I say something?" Krista asked looking rather hurt.

"No but I have to head. Bye Krista", Ron replied, grabbed his cloak and Disapparated.

When he reached his flat, he opened the door, walked inside and shut the door, before leaning against the nearest wall and sighing. He looked around his dark hall, the cream on the walls was barely detectable in the night, and the few photos and pictures he had on the walls, were plain and gave the air of something clean and hygienic, not something lived in. Ron shook his head, as he picked up his cloak once more, put it and left his flat. Within two minutes he was standing outside the Burrow and with an old key he had, he let himself in and made his way to the kitchen. It was five in the morning, the sun was slowly rising in the east, sending pink, orange and red rays into the kitchen. There was Ginny, sitting at the table, staring at the sun and absentmindedly playing with her hair. She was in her night gown and Ron could see deep rings around her eyes. She obviously had not slept.

"Ginny?" Ron asked approaching her. She slowly turned her head away from the sun rising and saw Ron.

"Oh Ron!, Ginny replied. "What are you doing here? Did you manage to rescue Hermione?" "How do you know?" Ron asked sitting down across from her.

"Bill told me", Ginny replied. "So about Hermione, is she ok? Did you get to talk to her?"

"Hermione is fine, safe and sound and yeah I got to talk to her, more like shout at her", Ron sighed as he dropped his head down on the table.

"Oh Ron what did you do now?" Ginny asked crossly. "Don't tell me you had a big argument?"

"She started it", Ron replied stubbornly.

"Jesus Ron, we aren't in Hogwarts anymore!"

"It was stupid, it's the first time I properly talked to her in three years and what do I do, but shout at her", Ron sighed.

"You are a Dumbass, but Ron at least you saw her. How was she?" Ginny asked getting up and putting the kettle on the stove to heat some water.

"She was good, she hasn't changed at all. Her hair is still as bushy as ever", Ron smiled. Ginny sat back down, "You miss her?"

"I miss talking to her, we used to get on so great", Ron sighed, "But every time I do manage to talk to her, I mess it up!"

"Oh Ron!" Ginny sighed, "So what did you two fight about this time?"

"She snapped her wand because I pushed her out of the way of a curse and then she got all angry", Ron sighed, "I mean I was saving her life and that's all the thanks I get?"

"She was probably really angry about the fact that her wand was broken, she used to like that wand so much in school", Ginny replied.

"Its stupid, it's a wand and if she was so angry about me breaking it, I would have paid for a new one."

"You know how Hermione is. She hates having things broken".

"I know", Ron replied frowning. "and then when we got home, Krista and I she started getting angry at me for helping Hermione out".

"In all fairness I can see why. How would you feel if your girlfriend ran off to help her ex because he was in trouble, without even giving you a proper explanation", Ginny asked.

"I suppose I see your point, but its Hermione. No matter how long we were going, out we friends for years before hand and that would never change. No matter how much we hated each other, I would always help her out if she needed help. And Harry needed my help. I couldn't just say no!"

"I understand your point of view and I suppose if you just told Krista that she would understand", Ginny replied.

"I told her and she was ok about it", Ron said.

"So why are you here now and not with Krista?" Ginny asked.

"She started talking about committal and us", Ron replied.

"Oh I see, well that would freak out any guy this early in a relationship, I mean you have only been going out for what three four months?"

"I don't mind talk about committal, it was just she sprung it up just after the fight and well I had hours beforehand shouted at Hermione", Ron sighed and rubbed his eyes with his hands. Ginny got up and took the kettle full of boiling water off, the stove, took out some cups and tea bags and made them some tea.

"Milk and two sugar is it?" Ginny asked and Ron nodded his head. She brought the two cups over to the table and sat down.

"Well Ron, I think its obvious, you're still shook up about Hermione and to have Krista talk about committal just after having seen Hermione, would freak out anyone", Ginny said.

"Its not committal, I mean with Hermione I would have done anything, I loved her so much", Ron sighed.

"But you don't love Krista enough do you?"

"No".

"Well Ron it seems pretty obvious what the problem is", Ginny said.

"What is it?" Ron asked raising his head to look at her.

"The problem lies not with Krista but with Hermione. Your feelings for Hermione are clouding up your relationship with Krista", Ginny replied.

"I don't have feelings for her, I mean yes I care about her, but she was my best friend for seven years. I mean who wouldn't?" Ron said.

"Then Ron it can be only one other problem, you don't love Krista anymore", Ginny sighed and sipped her tea.

"Could that really be it?" Ron asked, though more to himself, "Could all the problems be down to the fact my relationship with Krista is breaking down?"

"Could be Ron. Only you know the answer", Ginny replied.

"I don't know anymore, I'm so confused right now", Ron sighed and drank his tea.