Anywhere but in Between
Only the plot is mine. THANK YOU EVERYONE for your wonderful comments and encouragements. I feel truly blessed…
LegendaryRoxtar- Huggles4all- IceQueen102-AngelicOne- Bhekie- Belanna- Kat Solo- Tina- Wackyone- Gwasshoppa-Welcome! I loved your review, and I appreciate your appreciation if that makes sense-SLynn- AWP-I fell in love with Ron and Hermione from the minute she spotted the dirt on his nose, so the majority of my writing centers around them. Thanks for the reviews! I would love to respond to each of you in turn, but I tried and realized I had already typed two pages before the story even began! So this is a general message to all of you to thank you for your support. It truly feeds my soul.
This is going to be a shorter chapter, sort of like a bridge between where I was and where I want to be.
Well, on with the show.
Chapter 13 – The Hardest Step
Hermione gripped Ron's hand tighter, trying desperately to hold onto something real in this very surreal situation. Somehow, she had always known that this was how Harry would return to them. One day, out of the blue, unexpected and sudden.
Even armed with the secret knowledge, she still had no idea what to say or do now that he was standing right before her. A thousand emotions waged a silent war within her, all battling for release. Only by staying perfectly still could she focus on standing solidly on her feet, so she waited, hoping someone else would be the first to speak.
Her eyes remained focused on Harry. She was afraid that if she let him out of her direct line of vision even for a second, he'd disappear and not return for another two years. Her chest constricted tightly, and she swayed a bit where she stood.
Harry's eyes were shifting back and forth between her and Ron, a closely guarded expression on his face. In her head, she begged him to say something, anything, to break her out of her suspended state. She just needed to hear his voice to make this all real.
It was Ginny, however, that spoke first.
"See Harry, and you were afraid this would be awkward," she said lightly.
When no one reacted to her comment, Ginny sighed and took a step toward her brother. "I can appreciate that you are both surprised to see him, believe me, but don't I at least get a welcome home?"
Hermione felt Ron's hand pull away slowly from her own, and the emptiness was enough to snap her back to the present. She watched as Ron approached his sister, enveloping her in a hug.
Her eyes swung back onto Harry who was standing in the same spot, looking almost jealously at the scene before him. Then his eyes met hers, and the loneliness in them broke her heart into a million pieces.
Tears began to sting her eyes, and she willed herself not to cry. She would not break down like a silly little girl, no matter how much she wanted to. She would be strong and rational. She would get a hold over her emotions and do the right thing.
She walked toward Harry calmly, stopping a few steps away from him and holding his gaze with her own. "You have so much explaining to do," she said, trying desperately to keep her voice even. She knew that this was not the time to yell at him, to tell him how selfish he had been to leave without letting them know where he was going. No matter how angry she was, she also knew that coming back after all this time couldn't have been easy for him, either.
Harry's shoulders sagged as if under an invisible weight, but his eyes held hers steadily. "I know," he said quietly.
His tone was heavy with regret and loss, and Hermione found her resolve breaking completely. She had missed him with an ache that had become a permanent part of her life, and now that he was back, somehow all of the questions she wanted answered and the anger she felt toward him for leaving didn't seem as important as showing him how much she'd missed him.
She closed the remaining distance between them and slowly wrapped her arms around his neck. Once she'd made the initial contact, she found that she couldn't hold back any longer. She held onto him as best she could, and when she felt his arms go around her, holding her tightly, she blinked furiously to keep the tears out of her eyes.
They stood like that for some time, and only broke apart at the sound of Ron's voice.
"Alright, Hermione, give him some air."
Sheturned to face Ron. He was watching her closely, a concerned expression on his face. She gave him a small smile to let him know she was fine, and he nodded slightly.
Ginny walked up to her then and Hermione gathered her into her arms as Ron approached Harry. "Where on Earth did you find him?" she whispered into Ginny's ear.
Ginny broke away from her slightly, shaking her head. "Long story. Come and help me unpack and I'll tell you everything," she said, smiling at her. "Besides, I need you with me when I tell my mum that he's back. She's going to lose it, and I can't handle her on my own."
Even though she didn't want to let Harry out of her sight ever again, she followed Ginny out of the room, her heart practically bursting at the realization that they were all finally together again.
Harry watched the girls walk out of the kitchen, the pressure in his chest lessening now that he knew at least Hermione didn't hate him. If she had, she would have had no problem telling him where to go as soon as he'd walked in the door. He focused his attention back on Ron, who was staring at him with narrowed eyes.
"If you're expecting me to cry, you have another thing coming," Ron said dryly.
Harry let out a short laugh, the pressure now completely gone. He knew he still owed them about a dozen explanations, but for now, they understood.
"Not even just a little bit?" he asked, and Ron socked him solidly in the shoulder.
He winced, rubbing at his arm. "I missed you too," he said, knowing that he deserved much more than a punch to the arm. In truth, he was surprised Ron hadn't hit him squarely in the face.
"Where the hell have you been?" Ron asked, sitting down at the kitchen table.
Harry pulled out a chair for himself. "Bulgaria. I ran into Ginny about three months ago," he explained.
He waited for Ron to yell about Ginny knowing where he was for three months, but it never came. Instead, he simply stared at Harry in surprise.
"All that time, and she never said anything," Ron said slowly.
Harry was quick to her defense. "I asked her not to say anything. Things were pretty intense when I left, and I just felt like I needed some time to myself. When I saw her, though, I started to think about coming back and, well, here I am."
"Here you are," Ron repeated, shaking his head. "You couldn't have surprised me more if you had walked in here with three heads."
Harry grinned at him. "I think Ginny and I were the ones who were surprised. What happened to Terry Boot?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?" asked Ron, suddenly occupied with looking out the kitchen window.
"I mean, when we walked in, you and Hermione were definitely looking – cozy," he said. "Not at all the actions of a girl who has a serious boyfriend and a bloke who's supposed to only be her best friend."
Ron cleared his throat and sat up straighter in his chair. "That's a conversation for another time," he said, and Harry regarded him with interest. Two years ago, the Ron he knew would have blustered and huffed about how he and Hermione were just friends, and that Harry should mind his own bloody business. Now, however, Ron appeared to have that part of his life completely in check.
It was the first sign that he had been so completely wrong in going away in the first place, and he knew it wouldn't be the last. He'd missed so much of his friends' lives by running away, and he realized he had a lot of time to make up for.
"Anyway, why are you having a go at me?" Ron continued, glaring at him mockingly. "You're the one who's been shacked up with my little sister for three months behind everyone's backs."
"We weren't shacked up," Harry said quickly and emphatically, his face flushing despite his best attempt to let the playful comment go by as just that. He watched Ron's eyes go wide, and he realized with an inward groan that he had reacted exactly as Ron used to when he'd teased him about Hermione in the past.
"Don't tell me you're interested in Ginny?" Ron asked, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial level.
Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat, and he scowled at his best friend. "Don't you want to yell at me for being away for so long or something? I mean, I've been gone for two years, and I barely answered your letters," he said, searching for something, anything, to take the devilish look out of Ron's eyes.
Ron shook his head, a grin spreading across his face. "There's plenty of time to tell you what an incredible git you've been later," he said, leaning closer to him. "Right now, I want to know what your intentions are toward my baby sister."
Just then, Harry heard a glass shatter in the other room, and Mrs. Weasley's voice carried across the distance loudly and passionately.
"Harry Potter! You get in here this instant!"
Harry looked at Ron with wide, scared eyes, but his friend was of little help. Ron was staring back at him with a huge grin and glinting eyes.
"You better go, mate," he said, his eyebrows raised. "The quicker the better."
Harry pushed out of the chair and left the kitchen, hearing Ron's chair scraping behind him in his haste to follow and see what was going to happen.
When he reached the living room, he saw Mrs. Weasley standing in the middle of the room, her hands on her hips. He also saw Ginny and Hermione's feet disappear quickly around the second floor landing, and he turned to make sure that Ron wouldn't follow suit.
He was relieved to see that Ron remained in the room with him, although he was now leaning against the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest, looking thoroughly entertained.
Before he could take another step into the room, Mrs. Weasley moved suddenly, disregarding the broken glass on the floor and engulfing him in her strong embrace.
"Oh, my boy," she said, her voice shaking with emotion. She squeezed him harder, and even though he found it a bit hard to breathe, it was the best feeling in the world. He relaxed into her embrace, his eyes closing.
"Are you alright?" she asked, pulling away from him slightly to look over him with anxious, tear-filled eyes. When he nodded, her fingers reached up to his forehead, brushing his hair aside tenderly.
"Welcome home, sweetheart," she said, cupping his face in her hands. Harry felt a lump rise in his throat, and before he could force it down, she had pulled him to her again, this time holding him gently in her arms.
He stayed in her arms willingly, looking over her shoulder to Ron in the doorway. The amused smirk on his face was replaced with a genuine smile, and Harry's chest constricted almost painfully with relief. There would be plenty of time for explanations and apologies later.
For now, he was exactly where he was supposed to be, and he knew he'd never be able to leave again.