That Year: The Love That Started It All

Authors Note:

This story will contain main characters that are in abusive relationships. If this would bother you, you know what to do.

Summary:

After their fifth year, Harry and Ron decide to have a romantic relationship. Issues one would never think to occur between the two, surface.

Chapter One: The Call

End Of Year 5

As the Hogwarts Express pulls out of the station after dropping off its passengers, many students are left waiting as it speed away. The Weasleys, the Grangers, Harry Potter stood around waiting for one unusually late muggle.

"I'm sure that he will be here soon Harry dear," Mrs.Weasley said comfortingly, "It isn't like you uncle to be late? Now is it?"

Harry sighed dejectedly and looked over to the entrance to the station. Mrs. Weasley was right. His annoyingly prompt Uncle wasn't ever late. He was always standing on the other side of the 9 ¾ barrier, waiting to grab Harry and get out of the "Freak infested" station Vernon liked to call it. Still he was late this year for reasons Harry couldn't fathom.

'Dudley probably wanted to eat his second lunch of the day and was making the evil git late.' Harry thought moodily.

Having so many people watching over him, made Harry queasy. It wasn't as If Voldemort was going to attack him while he was waiting for his wizard- prejudiced uncle to arrive. But then again...

"Hey, Harry could I speak to you in private for a minute." Ron asked visually nervous.

"Um...sure"

Scrunching his eyebrows together in concentration Harry followed Ron to one of the far off pillars farther back in the station.

Shifting his feet anxiously Ron wrung his hands together and looked up at Harry determinedly.

"This summer I am going to be calling you about something important. I think it's something that we should talk about because other wise...well I just would feel better talking to you about this on the phone instead of through owl post."

"Sure Ron, no problem. Is it something life threatening?" Harry asked concerned.

He sure didn't need any more problems, but if it was to help his best friend then it would be worth it. Ron looked up at him with a secretive smirk.

"No, no, it's not anything like that, but life altering Hermione would say." He chuckled.

"Okay sure no problem. Just don't scream into the phone like you did last time. Uncle Vernon almost pissed a cat when he came to tell me what happened."

"Boy!"

"That's so funny I could almost here his voice..."

"Boy! Lets go! You're already late. Don't make me wait any longer or your going to regret it!" A very purpled face Vernon Dursley yelled. Harry turned his head to the annoying bellowing of the oversized whale of a man. Rolling his green eyes Harry turned back to Ron.

"I guess my ride is here I gotta go. Call me sometime around the end of the Summer Hols. The Dursleys aren't going to be there the last two weeks. They're going on vacation."

Ron smiled and nodded in a way that made Harry wonder why the tall fair skinned boy never had a girlfriend.

One Month Later

Harry Potter sat in the kitchen of number four Privet Drive, waiting for the chance to go back into his bedroom and write a letter to Remus. The fact is that after washing the dishes, mopping the floor, and cooking dinner, the two-foot parchment letter would become a two-inch letter instead.

The size of the letter it's self wasn't what was bothering Harry at all. The contents of the letter were more of the cause for worry. Being in constant fear that more abnormities to his name would lead him to become even more of a loner than he already was, made him jumpy and slightly insecure.

Having the Dursley's as relatives made it even more difficult for him to actually have someone to talk to about certain problems of teenage angst. Dudley for sure was an easy kid for any parent, all he did was eat, sleep, complain, and push Harry around. Puberty for this boy was just like when Aunt Petunia took Dudleykins to the doctor for his semi- annual physical.

Currently Dudley has been acting weird with not just Harry, but his parents too.

The cow would leave the telly early for bed and never leave his room until the next morning. Several times already Harry had went to the bathroom around two o'clock to see the light of the computer shinning from the bottom of Dudley's bedroom door. Thinking this odd, and something that the raven-haired Gryffindor didn't want to pry into, Harry just left well enough alone.

Still there were times in the past school term that Harry sat listening to the stories of the hormonal teenagers Harry shared his fifth year dorm room with. He felt a bit uncomfortable when every time Seamus would mention a part of his date that started with him and some girl being closed up in a broom closet, the Irish boy would quickly glance at Harry and say "and you know".

This type of blatant exclusion was starting to grate on Harry's nerves. It wasn't his fault that the Dursley's were one of those types of families that didn't talk about anything relating to sex. Not reproduction, genitals, correct hygiene, or love. The unusually dust free house reflected it's owners perfectly. There was never to be any "icky" things to go on with this family. No siree.

"Boy, don't just sit there and daydream. Make yourself useful and finish washing the dishes." Petunia scolded.

Looking up from the lump of left over cheese on his plate, Harry frowned in confusion at his aunt.

"But aunt Petunia I just finished washing the dishes."

"Well you washed them before Dudley could have his T.V. snack. It's your own fault if you didn't decide to wait and made more work for your self." The horse faced woman smirked.

Sighing, Harry moved to dump his plate to only be stopped by Vernon's meaty hand on his shoulder. Harry almost slipped and fell when said hand jerked him back away from the garbage.

When Harry was turned around he came face to face with the reddened face of the oldest Dursley.

"What do you think your doing you little freak? That is perfectly good food that your about to throw away and I will not stand for that such wastefulness in my house." Vernon yelled, spit flying every which away.

Harry gulped seeing that he was caught. The moldy part of the cheese that Harry had scraped off earlier was what Vernon was talking about. Harry also knew what was going to come out of the vastly huge mans mouth.

"Put it back in the refrigerator. You'll eat it tomorrow for lunch. You should be grateful, your aunt and I are teaching you good saving skills. But of course your kind wouldn't understand something like this.

Feeling like he got one over on his freak of a nephew Vernon pushed Harry toward the refrigerator. With that Vernon sat back down to the evenings newspaper.

Livid, Harry pulled open the refrigerator and placed the plate on one of the shelves and slammed the door, his movements jerky.

'Vernon can be such an ass wipe' Harry thought as he began to wash the dishes.

The huge bowl had chocolate pudding in it. Then Dudley settled on finishing it off by his self for a telly snack. The Dursley's son could be such a pig. Realizing this made Harry remember the incidents the summers before his first and fourth years.

'Getting a pigs tail, and obtaining an over sized tongue, has taught the boy nothing.' Harry thought with a grimace.

Finally being able to snuggle down into bed Harry yawned loud enough to showing just how tired the boy was. Remembering his letter that he wanted to send to Remi, Harry decided to just write it tomorrow and send it that night.

Happy with his decision, the Gryffindor melted into his pillow with thoughts of finished chores. Not anunpleasant incident, on his mind.