Going Home...
Chapter 3
Hermione finished getting dressed she was running late, Harry and Ginny would already be waiting at the restaurant. It was Friday they had dinner together every Friday. She slipped on her shoes looked at herself one more time in the mirror, deciding she looked fine she grabbed her wand and apparated. She landed gracefully in the alleyway behind the restaurant. She chose the alley to apparate to so that no muggles would see her. "Wow… that was good. I'm getting better at that." She said to herself as she ran a hand over her head smoothing her hair down. She turned to walk out to the street. It was dark and she could barely see the ground. As she walked down the alley, she tripped and almost fell. She righted herself and turned to see what she had tripped over, it was a leg. She stepped closer and saw a man leaning against the wall. She could not see his face. She knew it was a man, because when she tripped, he said, "Hey… watch it."
He must be drunk she thought, trying to sleep it off I guess. "I'm sorry." She said.
He mumbled something and waved her off. "Sir… Are you ok?" she asked.
"I would be if you left me alone." He replied. His voice sounded familiar to her, but she brushed it off. She was late she had to go; they would be worried about her. She left the man there and walked around the corner.
Ron had gotten himself drunk again. "I have to find someway to get rid of the pain." He thought to himself. He staggered out of the bar and down the street. He did not know where he was going. As he walked, he kept his head down. He guessed he made it several blocks before it hit him. He felt it creeping up from the bowels of his stomach, that sickening feeling, it was rising. He knew he would not be able to hold it back. He ran into an alleyway and threw up. He leaned his head against the brick wall in front of him. The coolness from the wall felt good on his head. He tried to stand upright, got dizzy, and fell against the wall. He slid down the wall and sat on the ground tilting his head back. He closed his eyes trying to stop the world from spinning. He sat like that for a while, he did not know how long.
Ron was brought out of his thoughts when he was startled by a loud pop. He knew that popping sound. Someone had just apparated. His eyes flew open; he tried to stay perfectly still. Only wizards apparated and he did not want to be seen. He hoped it was not a Death Eater he was not in the mood for a fight, but he would if he had to.
He was surprised to see it was a woman standing there. She had her back to him so he could not see her face. She said something that he could not quite make out, she ran her hands over her long brown hair. She turned around. He could not believe his eyes, it was Hermione standing there. He wondered what she was doing apparateing into a dark alley. For a second he thought about yelling at her about that. There was still Death Eaters out there and he feared for her safety.
Just then, he realized that she was walking towards him. He was sitting with one leg stretched out in front of him, and did not have time to move it before she tripped over it. "Hey… watch it." The words came out of his mouth before he could stop them.
She turned and looked at him. At first, he thought she recognized him. She apologized then slowly she started leaning in to get a better look. He thought quickly, mumbled something, and waved his arm at her. "Sir… Are you ok?" She asked.
He replied with the first thing that came to his mind. "I would be if you left me alone." She hesitated for a minute longer; he prayed that she would not light her wand, in order to
see him better. He let out the breath he was holding when she turned and walked away.
Then anger started to drift back to him. What was she thinking; he could have been a Death Eater? He got up to follow her he needed to know why she was out this late. He covered his head with the hood from his shirt. He turned the corner that she just had a second ago. He saw her long brown hair swishing behind her; she was just going into the restaurant on the corner. He kept his head down and walked to the window to see if he could see her. His eyes scanned the restaurant and landed on a table in the back corner.
There sat Ginny and Harry, Hermione was just joining them. He stood there and watched them talk while they waited for the food to arrive. Tears started to fill his eyes as he stood there watching them.
Ginny had gotten more beautiful, the last time he had seen her she was just kid. She had grown up a lot in two years, he thought to himself.
And Harry was so much stockier than he used to be. His Auror training and all those years of Quidditch had done his body well. "I would hate to be on the receiving end of an ass-kicking from him." He said to himself. He still had his unruly dark hair, though it was a bit longer than he remembered.
They were smiling and laughing, he was glad they had each other. Suddenly he saw Ginny looking right at him. Had she seen him? Did she recognize him? He saw her jump up from the table. She was heading for the door.
He turned quickly and headed back to the alleyway. He backed into the shadows so she could not see him. She came running into the alley. She stood at the entrants, scanning the dark.
"Ron?" He stayed very quiet. "Ron…Is that you?" He heard her voice falter slightly. "Please Ron, if it is you. Please answer me." He stood silently in the shadows; his heart was pounding fast in his chest. "Ron? We still love you. You know that don't you? Hello?" He stood there fighting the urge to grab her. Hug her. Tell her how sorry he was for leaving her. Slowly she turned away.
"Ginny, I'm so sorry. I love you too." And with a small pop, he was gone.
"Where is she? She is never late." Ginny was getting worried. Hermione had yet to show up for there usual Friday dinner.
"Give her five more minutes' Hon, then will go looking for her." Harry said placing his hand on Ginny's back.
She nodded her answer. Two minuets later Hermione came rushing into the restaurant.
"I'm so sorry I'm late. Have you ordered yet?"
"Ginny was just about to send out a search party for you. Good thing you came when you did." Harry said smiling at her. Ginny smacked him playful on the arm.
"I wasn't that bad." Harry just gave her a look and they all busted out laughing.
"So how was your day?" Ginny asked.
"It was good." Hermione replied. "Dobby came by to visit today. He told me about a mistreated house elf that was set free. Dumbledore took him in about a week ago. Poor thing is still in shock. How about you?"
"Me? I'm good. Just helped Harry around the office a little today that's all." She answered. They sat and talked for a little while. Ginny scanned the restaurant. "Honey where is our waiter? I would like a glass of water." She asked.
She scanned the room again. Her eyes fell on someone at the window. He was standing outside looking in. Their eyes locked on each other. "Oh my God…" she whispered.
Harry looked at her confused. "What is it? What's the matter?" Ginny jumped up from the table and headed for the door. Hermione and Harry just sat there for a second too shocked to move then followed her.
Ginny ran out the door and turned the corner into an alleyway. She could not believe it. Was it really him? Where did he go? She took a step into the alley.
"Ron?" she was scanning the darkness, straining to see him. "Ron…Is that you?" She was met with silence. She was holding back tears that threatened to fall. "Please Ron, if it is you. Please answer me." More silence. "Ron? We still love you. You know that don't you? Hello?" There was no answer.
Maybe she had imagined it. Maybe the man looking inside was just a hungry beggar. However, he looked so familiar to her. Slowly she turned to go back to the restaurant. She had to apologize to Harry and Hermione for running out like that. Then she heard it a man's voice.
"Ginny, I'm so sorry. I love you too." She spun around just as she heard the popping sound of someone apparateing in the shadows. Oh no. Oh god it was him.
Just then, Harry and Hermione came up to her. "What happened? Why did you run out like that?" Harry asked her. "Oh Ginny Hon what is wrong?" She fell into his arms sobbing.
"It was him. Harry he was here. I saw him. I heard him." Harry was very concerned now.
"What? Who was here? Who did you see?" She was sobbing so uncontrollable now she could hardly talk.
"It was him. He was so close." Harry felt fear building up inside him.
"GINNY… calm down. Who did you see?"
"Ron" she sobbed, "I saw Ron. He was right here. He called out to me I heard his voice."
Harry and Hermione looked at each other. Harry hugged Ginny tighter and ran his hand up and down her back, trying to calm her. "Shh …its ok. Calm down Hon." He was whispering into her ear. "Let's go back inside and talk about it." They slowly walked back to the restaurant.
"I saw him. He is alive. I knew he was here somewhere." Tears were streaking her face. The waiter brought out there food. Harry asked if they could get it to go, he went up to pay and apologized for the inconvenience. Hermione helped Ginny with her coat. They went outside to call a cab. Harry came out with the food; they took a cab to Hermione's flat.
Ron landed in the middle of the tiny room he called home. He collapsed on the bed tears flowing freely down his face. Why had he not just grabbed her up in his arms and hugged her. Kiss her head. Tell her he was sorry. Tell her that everything was going to be ok. She said they still loved him. She begged him to show himself. There was no hiding it now. Ginny had seen him. She knew it was him. She pleaded with him to show himself. Why did he not just step out of the shadows? "Because you are a bloody coward. That's why." He said through clenched teeth.
He got up of the bed and paced the floor. He was so mad at himself for doing that to her, to them all. "You bloody fing coward." His anger was at a boiling point he fisted his hand and slammed it into the wall. Pain instantly shot thru his hand and up his arm. He brought his arm back and hit the wall once more, this time his hand went right thru the wall. He cried out in pain more from his broken heart than his broken hand.
He slumped to the floor. Sitting on his knees, he leaned forward and placed his head on the floor. He cried out once more. His body aching from the pain he had caused.
He saw it in Ginny's eyes tonight. All the pain he has caused and is still causing. He got up off the floor and went to the bathroom. He rummaged thru the cabinet. He was looking for some bandages for his hand he found some, sat on the toilet and bandaged up his broken and bleeding hand. He went to the kitchen area grabbed the bottle of firewhiskey off the table and downed it trying to dull the pain.
He got a pen and paper, sat at the table and wrote a letter. He scanned the room looking for his wand. He found it grabbed it up off the floor and apparated. With a pop, he landed across the street from Hermione's flat. He crossed the street, placed the note on her door, rug the bell, and quickly walked back into the shadows.