Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own the magical world of Harry Potter. I only own the magical world of bardlover, which, if anyone wonders, is INSANE. Just ask my friends. The characters seen here are only on loan (at very high interest too!) to me from JKR. My love to her for creating them. I'm glad you're richer than the queen, JKR.

A/N: Okay, here we go again. I hope this doesn't bore you. It's a bit of rehash, but an important one. This will further help JohnCardy87 forgive Hermione, for unlike Ron, Hermione has mastered the art of being quiet and can actually be subtle.

Ron was torn. He didn't know whether to be angry or hurt. Or both. Okay, so maybe he was a little of both. But he was surprised that he was experiencing more hurt than anything else.

Harry had owled him soon after Fred had disapparated (presumably to warn Hermione) to tell him that he and Hermione would come over to his flat for brunch the next day. Just like that, she was going to come see him.

He waited all day, wavering between wanting to throttle her and wanting to grab her and snog her senseless. Well, maybe not just snog…

Ron blushed as he remembered that night. Of course, it was so long ago. Hermione possessed him not just in body, but in soul. Every woman since then had her eyes and her hair. He still had to bite his tongue from calling out her name. His Mione.

He had imagined her obliviated senseless, dead, comatose, anything and everything but hiding from him. His Hermione wasn't capable of such treachery. Harry wrote that she had her reasons, but Ron couldn't calm down enough to see them. He never would have done such a thing to her.

He heard them approach the door and quickly sat down at the table. He knew something was odd when he noticed Ginny shooting him soul-searching glances every time she thought he wasn't watching. Was there something more? Or was she trying to ascertain his reaction?

Ron nearly laughed. Ascertain. Wow. He needed to throw that word out to Hermione. She'd think he had had a brain transplant. He had read himself senseless to keep sane while spending the better part of a year at St. Mungos. It had worked. He still had his mind. And now he was smarter. No, he was not quite the lazy dolt Hermione would remember.

He pointedly avoided her hesitant glance when she walked up to the table. She soon followed suit and sat between Fred and Harry. Only then did Ron notice she was eluding Ginny's gaze as well. What exactly did Ginny know, he wondered?

He barely paid any attention when George and Dad arrived. He should have been happy at the reunion of the terrible twins, but he didn't care. He could only wonder why his reunion with Hermione hadn't been so happy. They hadn't even spoken yet.

"Hermione? Wow, you too?" George asked, clearly overwhelmed.

"Yeah. Turns out she found Fred," Ron quickly fired. "She's been hiding from us all for three damn years. Didn't even write a how are you or a kiss my foot every once in a while." There. Now he felt better.

Hermione's face fell. He could tell she was hurt. Good. She'd hurt him after all.

"That's not fair, Ron. You don't understand," she said softly.

Ron looked her straight in the eyes. "Then make me understand. Let's talk." He rose from the table and walked to the back of the flat. He heard Harry mutter something, but didn't stop. He just kept going. He didn't want to talk to her in front of everyone like that.

Hermione entered his room cautiously. They both knew a fight would develop. Ron just had to keep his voice down to keep everyone from hearing.

"How are you, Hermione?"

"Okay, I guess. You?"

"I've survived. Somehow. Guess what? I've read Hogwarts, A History now."

Hermione looked at him like he'd sprouted antennae. "Really?"

"Well, there's not much to do in St. Mungos."

"Oh. Right."

Ron couldn't stand it any longer. He just reached out and enveloped Hermione in a hug. "I'm so glad you're okay. I thought you were dead, Mione." He reluctantly let her go.

"I know. Harry told me you would think that…"

"Wait!" Ron interrupted. "Harry knew where you were. That…"

"Ron, watch your mouth. Harry is your friend, but he was afraid of you. Besides, I told him I'd jinx him if he let on."

Ron smiled. "I bet you would have."

"Yeah. I hexed Fred earlier."

"That was you? Damn, I thought Ginny was getting her touch back."

There was a brief silence. Just as it was beginning to get awkward, Hermione spoke up.

"Ron, there's something important I have to tell you."

"Okay."

Hermione looked at the floor. "You remember the night…the night we…"

"Yeah."

"Well, we forgot and…"

"What are you saying?"

"Ron, we're parents."

It hit Ron like a ton of bricks. So much for keeping his voice down. "WHAT? BLOODY HELL, HERMIONE, YOU DIDN'T EVEN TELL ME. HOW DARE YOU KEEP OUR CHILDREN FROM ME!"

"Ron, please calm down."

"YOU HAD NO RIGHT!"

Now Hermione was angry too. "YOU WERE ALREADY BUSY TAKING CARE OF YOUR FAMILY, RON! Did you really want to have three more people to take care of? Besides, you're poor; how would you afford two children at such a young age?" Hermione gasped at Ron's face.

"Two? Two children? Bloody hell!" His throat felt terrible. He hadn't yelled so much in years. "And don't you dare throw my lack of money in my face. You have no right!"

"Well, Ron, look at this flat. All of you are living here. Are you the only one who works?"

"I resent that!" they heard George cry.

"George owns the joke shop. Ginny and Dad can't help it…"

"My point exactly. I knew you wouldn't let me do anything, Ron."

"That's not true."

"Yes it is, Ron. I wanted to protect you."

"No, Hermione. It's my job to protect you." He looked deep into her eyes. "I always have."

Hermione merely shook him off. "Ron, we all had to grow up. It was time for me to take care of myself. I didn't know until after I had moved…"

"Moved? You mean ran away!"

"Okay, that's fair. I did run away. From you. From us. It was scary. I mean, look at Harry and Ginny. They had the same problem. I didn't want us to hurt one another."

Ron was crushed. His heart, fragile as it already was, broke in two. He just stared in horror at the woman he had always loved and would always love.

"Hermione, you know I would never hurt you," he said, reaching out and stroking her hair.

She reached up and touched his hand. "Oh, Ron, you wouldn't mean it, but you would. And I would hurt you. We've always been so good at it."

Ron thought back. He had always known how to push her buttons. Of course, she had always inadvertently pushed his. Going with Krum of all people to the Yule Ball. Of course, he had pissed her off by living in denial, claiming that she was lying about having a date. He just never wanted to realize that anyone else might find her as attractive as he did.

"Well, I don't know about you, Ron, but after all that yelling I could at least use a glass of orange juice or tea or something," Hermione said softly.

"We aren't done, Hermione. We need to continue this later."

"I know. Come one. Let's go eat."

Ron's stomach growled happily. "Okay. Could we talk again tomorrow? You could meet me on my lunch break at work."

"Ron, I need to go back to the girls…"

"Great. Get a portkey for them while you're at the ministry. Okay? You can do that while I fill out paper work to have Fred declared alive again."

Hermione nodded. "Alright. What time?"

"Um, noon I guess. I'll try to be done with the paper work by then, but I can't promise anything. Lupin says it's a pretty lengthy process."

"Oh, well, I understand. I might run into some old friends. Who works at the ministry?"

"Um,Seamus, Dean, Padma, Ernie Macmillan and oh, Lavendar."

Ron laughed as Hermione turned green. "What?"

"I do not want to see Lavendar Brown."

"Why ever not?" he pushed, his eyes gleaming, a smirk beginning to form.

"She is not my friend," she huffed, pushing towards Ron, leaving him a little disappointed. Of course, she didn't have to say it for him to realize that she was just a tiny bit jealous.

Good.

A/N: Okay, there was the expanded fight. Before anyone tells me Ron is out of character, I say read the last couple of chapters. He's matured. He's been the head of the Weasley family, so he had to learn to tone down the Weasley temper and his laziness.

Thanks to my lovely reviewers and my beta readers jwoods471 and JohnCardy87.

Please check out JohnCardy87's story Harry Potter & the Heir of Gryffindor. It's not a shipper story, but it's still good. He promised me that Ron & Hermione will get together in the end.

Oh, and just one more thing—I've got a sketch for chapters 12-15 in front of me. I originally thought this story would be about 23 (I like that number, okay?) chapters, but it might be a little over half-way by then. I guess I should aim for about 32 chapters. After this, I plan to write another to go with this story. Not a Ron/Hermione immediately, of course. In your reviews, tell me which of the following you would prefer:

Remus Lupin/ Nymphadora Tonks (don't worry, we see them a lot in the next two chapters, so you can wait and make your mind up later)

Fred Weasley/ Angelina Johnson (will be mentioned later—give me time or wait)

George Weasley/Alicia Spinnet

Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley (I've yet to read an interesting one with this pairing as the primary plot motive. It'll be short regardless.)

Someone else (please state who. Oh, but I don't do non-canon shipping. So now Harry/Draco, Sirius/Remus, or Hermione/Snape for me. Oh, and I HATE Hermione/Harry. It's crap.)

Just let me know by the end of chapter 15 or so. I want to be able to set it up, you see. Thanks!