A/N: Hi again! Hopefully this chapter will be better than the last one! I think it is. Actually I think it's one of the best I've written. QUESTION: I've seen all this "pumpkin pie" stuff…I know it somehow has something to do with H/Hr, but what? If someone could please tell me, that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Disclaimer: Not mine, not mine, not mine.

Ron reached his old home and was greeted with what had been affectionately deemed, "The Weasley Whirlwind". His immediate family was big enough, but with his siblings' children, girlfriends and friends…they were bordering on army size. As he entered the house he was almost bowled over by his mother.

"Oh Ronnie darling! I haven't seen you in forever! We were ever so worried when you didn't appear at the same time as Harry and Hermione. I thought you might have died!"

"Mum," Ron said as he gently loosened the death grip his mother had around his neck. "I saw you four days ago, and I was roughly three seconds behind Harry and Hermione. Besides, do you really think an Auror-trainee would be rubbish at apparating?"

Ron's mum sniffed and began to turn away. "Fine, excuse me for worrying."

"Wait Mum!" Ron said, defeated, and planted a kiss on his mother's cheek.

"Ron!" Ron turned to face Bill and his girlfriend-of-the-week.

"Ron, I'd like you to meet Christie. Christie, this is my youngest brother, Ron." Bill said proudly.

"Pleased to meet you." Ron said as he shook the hand of a very pretty witch who had red hair to rival the Weasleys'.

Bill steered Christie away to meet more family members. Bill had been in a serious relationship with Fleur for the last few years, but a few months ago she ran off with some Frenchman. Bill was crushed, and took up serial dating. Now it was considered "serious" if Bill dated someone for more than two weeks. Ron wasn't too fussed about all this. He never really liked Fleur and Bill together. He did wish that his brother would settle soon though. It hurt to watch Bill waste the best years of his life like this.

"Oi, Ronniekins! Get over here, your nephews want to talk to you!" Ron spun around to see George waving him over to where he, Alicia, and two tufts of red hair were sitting. Smiling, Ron slid into the seat beside Alicia.

"Getting any sleep yet?" Ron asked her.

"Well one of us is." She said, glaring at her husband. "Sometimes at night I think he's died"

"Hey!" George said, clutching his heart and looking morose, "you used to say my heavy sleeping was endearing."

Alicia simply rolled her eyes. "Well they're sleeping now. Resting up for tonight, no doubt." She said, gazing lovingly at her two-month-old sons.

Surprisingly, it was George who became a parent first, and carried on the Weasley tradition of having a set of twins in each generation. More surprisingly, was the maturity shown by George when the boys were born. No matter what Alicia said, the fact remained that George was a good father. Ron smiled down at the newest Weasleys, Charlie and Percy.

A roar of laughter reached Ron's ears and he smiled up at Angelina, Fred, Katie, and Lee joining their group by the fire.

"Someone besides Fred or George conjure a chair, I'm not sitting on the floor." Lee said, pretending to pout.

"I will hon," Katie said, lazily drawing her wand out with her left hand. Something on her finger glinted in the firelight.

"No!" Fred, George, Angelina, and Alicia cried in unison.

"Yes!" Katie and Lee yelled back.

"He asked me this morning." Katie said dreamily, as she held out her hand so Angelina and Alicia could admire her ring.

Ron congratulated the two, before offering Lee his chair, and setting off to find Harry and Hermione. Making his way across the room he ran into Ginny.

"Watch where you're going." She said, jokingly.

"Sorry. Have you seen Harry and Hermione?" He asked.

"Last time I saw them, Dad had latched onto them and was pumping them for muggle facts." She replied. "I'll help you find them."

"Ok."

Sure enough, as soon as they entered the kitchen they saw their very excited father and a very exasperated Hermione trying to explain CD's.

"So you press a button on the DC—"

"CD." Hermione said, teeth clenched. "You put the CD in a player, and then press a button."

Ron started laughing, when Fred's magically magnified voice washed over them. "CAKE! GET IT FAST BEFORE ANGELINA EATS IT ALL!"

Angelina didn't magnify her voice, but they could still hear her screaming at Fred.

Everyone took their seats around the table, Hermione and Harry discreetly avoiding the seats beside Mr. Weasley.

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday dear Molly, Mum, Mrs. Weasley, tyrant "FRED! GEORGE!" "Only joking mum!"

Happy birthday to you!

Ron's mum, smiling, began to cut the cake. She had insisted on making her own cake, and no one had argued. They all knew no one could cook better than her. As soon as the pieces of cake had been handed out the air was filled with compliments. The praises continued until Ron's mum had finished with her slice and began opening her presents.

Ron's dad got her a muggle dishwasher that he charmed to spit the dishes back onto the shelves after it was done washing them. Lee and Katie got her a new carrying case for her wand that was covered with her family's names.

"You see, if anyone's wand is in need of repair, his or her name will light up," Lee explained as Mrs. Weasley thanked him.

Bill and Christie gave Mrs. Weasley a dragon-skin apron.

"It looks great on you mum!" Bill said, smiling.

Fred and George presented her with a mop, broom, and feather duster. They claimed all you had to do was to tell the cleaning supplies the room of your house you wanted clean, and they would clean everything, even put things away on shelves and the like.

Angelina and Alicia offered to clean up if their husbands' devices didn't work, or were jinxed.

Finally it was down to Hermione and Ginny's present and Harry and Ron's present. Ron's mum picked up Hermione and Ginny's present first. Inside was a necklace made up of tiny figures holding hands.

"It's somewhat like Lee and Katie's present." Hermione explained. "All these people are your family, and some friends. Harry and I are on here, and so are Lee and Katie. As you can see, you can kind of tell who each figure is by the hair and body shape, but they don't have faces. If anyone is in trouble, or needs your help their figure will become hot and their face will become clear. And…erm, that's it."

Harry and Ron looked at each other, eyebrows raised. That was good. Ron bit his lip as his mum opened his present.

"What's this?" She asked.

Ginny let out a guffaw, "You actually got a book?"

"Oh boys," Ron's mum breathed, looking at the first page. Ron knew what his mum was going through. The first ten pages were solely devoted to Charlie and Percy. "It's lovely." She said, tears in her eyes, as she passed the album to her husband. It was silent as the book slowly made its way around the table. It reached George last. Blinking back tears, George stood up roughly, and walked across the room to his sons, who were now awake and cooing.

"See this boys?" He asked quietly. "These are your uncles. They were bloody brilliant wizards and some of the best people you'd ever meet. They're your namesakes and I know you're gonna make them proud." He paused, fighting back the tears that were threatening to fall. "Boys, you're brothers, and because of that you've got a special bond. Even if your personalities are different, even if you make fun of each other, two things are true: you're always gonna love each other, and you'll always have someone supporting you. Don't be like me and not fully appreciate your brother until after he's gone." George finished, and a single tear rolled down his face.

Ron felt the tears brimming in his eyes and shifted guiltily in his seat. George had just voiced what no one liked to talk about, what they all had been dancing around since Percy's death. If Ron could just have five more minutes with Percy…He wanted to apologize for so much. He wanted to tell Percy how much he admired him, how much he had always looked up to him…

Ron wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his robe and looked up to see all of his siblings reacting in the same fashion. Hermione was looking at him sympathetically but he couldn't bring himself to meet her gaze; not now, when he was feeling like the scum of the earth.

Gradually, the talk and light-heartedness of earlier returned, and Ron found himself in a heated argument with Ginny over who had the better present.

"Of course it was our present, yours was practically a repeat of Lee's! Right Harry?" Ron turned, expecting his best mate to back him up. Harry was nowhere to be seen. He turned to look behind Ginny. Neither was Hermione. Ron's stomach dropped. Hermione was admitting her feelings to Harry right now! Ron had to hear this for himself, Harry wouldn't remember every glorious detail, every word, and every expression like Ron would.

"Uh, Gin, I've got to go." Ron said, rushing away from her. He heard her calling after him, but she didn't follow, thank Merlin. Where would they be? This house was just too crowded, he couldn't think.

That's it! The house was too crowded! They'd be outside in the garden! Ron rushed outside and was instantly rewarded with the view of his two best friends' backs. Thanking his lucky stars he made top marks in Concealment and Disguise in Auror training Ron hid in the bushes close to where Harry and Hermione were sitting. "What is it with me and bushes lately?" He thought to himself and smiled.

"What did you want Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Well, I noticed how, on Mrs. Weasley's necklace, Fred, and Angelina are beside each other, Lee and Katie are beside each other, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley are beside each other, George and Alicia are on either side of the twins, and you and Ron are beside each other. Is something happening that I should know about?" Ron couldn't see Harry's face, but he was sure a mischievous glint was in his eye.

"Nothing is going on between Ron and me Harry. You know that." Hermione replied stiffly.

"Yeah, 'nothing' was going on at Hogwarts too, as I recall." Harry prodded.

"You're right Harry." Hermione said flatly.

"No, remember, you liked Ron at Hogwarts! Have you forgotten?" Harry was confused.

"So what if I liked Ron at Hogwarts? Nothing happened! And what has it gotten me? Wasting my school years, hoping, wishing, and praying that he would finally get a clue. I don't think you, or Ron ever realized how many dates I turned down hoping he would finally get up the nerve to ask me." Hermione said angrily.

"But, why not give him another chance?" Harry was desperately trying to get Hermione to see reason.

"I have given him chances! Too many of them! Every time he just ends up disappointing me. I don't want to get hurt anymore Harry, don't you see? Friendship is the way we both win. If I'm just Ron's friend I don't get hurt anymore. If I'm just Ron's friend I can finally date! I can finally feel loved, and I can finally feel appreciated. If I'm just Ron's friend I can stop crying and moping and hoping he'd finally take a hint. I'm Ron's friend. Nothing more." Hermione finished determinedly.

"But," Harry said in disbelief, "In seventh year, you said you loved hi—"

"I HAVE NOT, NOR EVER WILL, LOVE RON WEASLEY!" Hermione screamed, and then stomped back into the Burrow.

As Ron watched the only woman in the world he had ever loved storm away he could feel his heart breaking.

A/N: Well…that was rather depressing. Sorry! It had to happen though. I hope this chapter was an improvement. Review, especially if you can explain the mystery of pumpkin pie. Thanks!