A/N: Sorry for the delay on this. I had horrible writers block and then I got Shingles. But all is moving along now and I hope that you all enjoy this new chapter.
Special thanks to Nita- who held my hand throughout this chapter and promised me you all wouldn't hate Ron (well at least not forever).
Since I forgot to mention this before- I do not own Harry Potter.
My Brother- Chapter 2
He didn't know what to do. She looked, well though he hated to admit it she looked defeated. Harry had never remembered seeing his best friend that way, not even during the war, not during all that she had gone through and it scared him. He had relied on Hermione being the strong one for over half of his life. Harry knew that Hermione had a rough time of it during the search for the horcurxes but she had never let him see it. Ron was the one she had always turned to for comfort, Ron was the one who seemed to know what to do with her when she started to cry, he had always left Hermione's care to Ron and neither of them seemed to mind. But Ron wasn't here now and Hermione needed Harry. He had always known that one day his two best friends would take the first step towards a relationship and most likely a relationship that would, well, last. Now Hermione needed him to tell her it was all going to be okay, to tell her that Ron still cared, but for once Harry didn't know if it was all going to work out. So instead he did what just felt right.
Pulling her into a comforting hug, Harry tried to soothe the tears that once again were streaming down his heart-broken friends face. Scooting back against the headboard of her bed he settled in for what was most likely going to be a very long cry. He really had no idea what to do; he was an idiot when it came to crying women. Just ask Ginny, Ginny always seemed to just laugh at him when he tried to comfort her and that always seemed to work but Hermione was not Ginny. At a loss for what to do he did what seemed to come naturally. Pulling her closer he used his free hand to stroke Hermione's hair as she cried.
He wasn't sure how much time had past, maybe it had only been a few minutes but Harry noticed that Hermione seemed to be leaning against him and that her breath had become shallow. Good, he thought, she needs the sleep. Poor girl has been through enough tonight. Tonight was supposed to be her night to shine and Ron had to go and open his big mouth and ruin it for her. Not wanting to disturb Hermione he leaned back and made himself comfortable and sitting there holding one of his dearest friends he went over the events from an hour ago hoping that he could somehow make sense of what had happened.
"Then the next thing I knew she had followed me into the office. So I pulled out my wand and told her unless she wanted to see why my hexes are still talked about in some places she would leave me and anyone I cared about alone."
Harry leaned against the door frame watching his friends. Hermione was in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on dinner while Ron and Ginny sat at the kitchen table. It had been a while since all four of them had been together. He and Ron had been away at training and when they had been home Harry had spent most of the time with Ginny. She really had turned his world upside down.
"Ginny, you shouldn't have." Hermione admonished. "You know the Prophet has been clamoring for a story about you and Harry for months now. He is home and they are just trying harder. Maybe they thought since Rita had a 'relationship' with us that you would be more willing to answer her questions."
"Like I would even talk to her. Come on. Do they not remember the articles she has written about us in the past years? Yeah that is really some relationship." Merlin he loved this girl.
"Still Ginny, you need to be more careful." Hermione continued as she pulled the chicken and potatoes out of the oven.
"Oh come off it Hermione." Ron now joined in, "You know that you are only upset because Ginny got to tell Rita off and not you."
"Oh please Ron." Hermione said, at least having the good graces to blush at the truthfulness of his statement. "You know that I have been avoiding that woman since she wrote the article that I was trying to break Ginny and Harry up. I can't believe she actually registered."
"Yeah it was probably only because she wanted to get out from under your jar." Ron mumbled. Unfortunately Hermione had heard him and spun around.
Wanting to avoid any row between his best friends tonight Harry quickly stepped in, "So Hermione, how does the new place suit you?"
"It's rather pleasant, actually." Hermione said going back to her preparations.
"Well it should be you looked long enough." Ron said. "You should have been there Harry. She dragged me in and out of almost every flat in both muggle and wizarding London."
"Honestly, Ron it wasn't that bad." Hermione said. "And you were the one that told me I couldn't live in many of the places. This one was too small, that one was in the wrong neighborhood, oh and one didn't have the right floor plan? Really Ron."
"Oh you had some of the same complaints yourself." he retorted. "Oh Ron," he said in an incredibly high voice, "There is no storage here. But Ron the kitchen is too small. Oh Ron, how am I ever going to get all of the Hogwarts Library in this room?"
Harry couldn't help but laugh as Ron said that. When he saw Hermione's face though he tried to cover it up with a cough.
"Sorry to have missed that mate," Harry said regaining his composure, "but your sister required some…um… alone time."
Ginny and Hermione couldn't help but laugh at that statement. While Ron stared at Harry with a look of disgust.
"I didn't need to know that Potter."
"Well you were the one that pointed out that Harry wasn't with you Ron," Ginny said "and well you know how it goes."
"That's enough, Ginny." Hermione said bringing the rest of dinner over to the table, with an air authority similar to Molly Weasley's. "Well then," she continued, "I guess we are all set. Harry care to join us?" she questioned as Hermione took the empty seat next to Ron.
Harry nodded and moved to the last empty seat by Ginny. Reaching over he took her hand and squeezed. She looked over and grinned at him and he couldn't help but grin back. Turning back to the table he noticed Hermione smiling at them but at the same time there was a longing in her eyes as she quickly glanced at Ron.
"Tuck in everyone." Hermione said starting a dish around.
"It looks wonderful, Hermione." Ginny said.
"Sure does." Harry added.
"Well, I hope it is okay. I am really worried as I haven't tried this particular recipe before." She answered Ginny but her eyes seemed to stray over to Ron.
"I am sure it is fine." Ginny responded "Oh you will never believe who I ran into at work today, Lavender Brown. She was asking about you Ron."
"Really?" Ron questioned. Harry himself was quite surprised too that their old classmate was asking about him. Lavender had seemed to steer clear of Ron after sixth year. They had seen her at gatherings throughout the years since but she never had seemed to pay any particular attention to Ron. In fact, she had seemed to avoid him at all costs.
"Yeah, she mentioned that she had seen your name in the paper and was wondering what you were up to now. She said to give you her floo number in case you wanted to get together for drinks or something." Ginny said
"Oh, okay. It will be good to see her again." Ron said in-between bites. "Hey Gin, maybe you and Harry could come with us. It could be fun the four of us there. And Hermione, I am sure you could come to."
Harry listened to this exchange but couldn't keep from looking at Hermione. She seemed to become more and more upset as the conversation went on. She was almost attacking the piece of chicken that was on her plate. He wanted to change the subject anything at all to move it away from Lavender but words just seemed to fail him.
"Oh, thank you Ronald." Hermione snapped "But I am sure that I can get my own invitations for drinks. I don't need your handouts."
"My handouts? I was just asking if you wanted to get drinks with us. Since when did that become a handout?" Ron said starting to get agitated.
"Yes, your handouts. I am not going as a gooseberry on your date Ron."
"It's not a date."
"Oh please."
Harry looked at Ginny, practically pleading for her to do something. Seeming to understand his plea she jumped in, "This mash Hermione is delicious. Better than mums in fact."
But her comment seemed to go unheard by anyone but Harry as Ron and Hermione kept at each other.
"Really Hermione, what does it matter? I am having drinks with an old friend that is all. I thought that you might want to be there as she is your old roommate. I am sorry for asking."
"She was more than an old friend Ron." Hermione was livid now. More than livid she looked like she was ready to spit fire. As if on cue Harry and Ginny both stood up and quickly moved from the kitchen to the living room. When the door closed behind them Harry rounded on Ginny.
"You had to bring her up, didn't you? Really Ginny, you knew how she was going to react."
"Yeah, but I didn't think it was going to be that bad. I was hoping to give them that little nudge."
"A nudge?" Harry questioned
"You know push them in the right direction. Make them see what is right in front of them. Please don't tell me you are as thick as Ron is about this. Because I know you aren't. You want them together as much as I do and I am tired of waiting."
She was right. He was tired of waiting. But it wasn't their place to step in. He needed to make her see that.
"Red," he started, using what he knew was her favorite term of endearment, "you never saw Lavender did you?"
"No." she muttered
"Red, I know you want to see them together, we all do but this is something they need to do on their own. We can't force them."
She nodded and then glanced at the door leading to the kitchen. "Do you think they have noticed that we're gone?"
But before he could answer her the kitchen door swung open and Hermione came marching out. Harry and Ginny seemed riveted to where they were are they watched Ron follow her out, "Don't you dare walk away when I am talking to you!" He yelled
"Talking," Hermione yelled right back at him, "Is that what you think we are doing. This is not talking Ron. Besides we were through."
"Oh no we're not!" Ron responded and Harry wondered if it was possible he could grow any redder. "You know, I have had one real relationship in my life Hermione, one. And how many have you had? Three? Four?"
Hermione looked close to tears and Harry wondered if he should step in now and stop them before either one of them went farther.
"Um, Ron," he started but was cut off when Ron said,
"I guess you really are a scarlet woman, aren't you?"
Harry stood there in shock. He didn't know what to say now. He wasn't sure if he heard correctly. But judging by the looks on Hermione and Ginny's faces he had.
"What did you say?" Hermione said
"Oh you heard me. I guess that is why you had to live by yourself to. That is why you told Ginny that you needed your own space. It would be hard to entertain the men over here if you had to worry about a flat mate popping home at anytime. What is it Hermione, two or three a week? I mean this is an expensive flat, you would need at least that many."
It was a slap that broke Harry out of whatever stupor he was in. Ron stood holding his cheek and Hermione seemed to tower over him. "Don't you ever come near me again." She whispered and then let out a sob as she ran upstairs.
Harry was dumbstruck and he didn't know what to do. It seemed that no one in the room did either as they all stood rooted to their spots until they heard a door slam.
"I need to go talk to her." Ron muttered.
Not knowing what spurred him to action Harry whipped around and faced his best friend. "You are not to go near her." Harry growled.
Ron and Ginny looked at him dumbfounded. Ron made to take a step towards the stairs when Harry brandished his wand and pointed it strait at Ron's chest.
"Did you not hear me before? You are not to go near her."
"Come on mate..."
"Damn it Ron, once, just once couldn't you keep your mouth shut? Why did you have to do that?"
"Harry, really I just…"
Turning to Ginny, Harry motioned, with his wand, towards Ron. "Get him out of here." He growled. "And make sure that he doesn't come back."
Taking Ginny's nod as a sign of consent Harry took the stairs two at a time to take care of Hermione.
Harry sighed. He was tired of this. Ron and Hermione were supposed to be together now. They had had time and now neither one of them would make the move. This wasn't Hogwarts. They didn't have anymore time to play games. For close to six years they had flitted around each, other neither of them brave enough to say something. Now both were hurting because they didn't want to face the truth. Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger were made for one another.
He looked at the girl curled up next to him and sighed. She didn't deserve this at all. He reached out to pull a blanket over her and realized that when it came down to it he really was the one that had always taken care of her when it came to matters of the heart. Just like she had always silently, and well not so silently, supported him and his relationship with Ginny. She had always been there telling him that he should take the risk and work harder. He remembered once during their seventh year she was nagging him about his non-existent relationship with Ginny. He had given Hermione his reason and she just keep at him till he finally through up his hands and asked,
"Why do you talk to me like this?"
She had simply responded, "'Cause you never had a big sister and you need one."
She was right he did need a big sister and she really had needed a brother. Well that is what he had to be now a brother. The problem was Harry didn't know how to be a brother. Going over in his mind he wondered what Ron would have done had Harry insulted Ginny. Well Ron would have decked me a good one, gave me a good telling off, and then decked me again for good measure. And Ron sure as hell wouldn't be standing here right now.
Having made up his mind, Harry slowly got up from the bed as not to wake Hermione up. Leaning over to kiss her on the cheek he vowed that he would make this right. He was going to talk to Ron Weasley, not as his best friend but as the brother of a girl whose heart he broke.