Author's Note: Sorry it took me so long. I've been insanely busy. I've been working and doing a lot of volunteer work. Plus, one of my good friends broke her wrist and another had jaw surgery, so I've been helping them out a lot. And now I'm sick. It sucks. Anyway, slowly but surely I've been working on this. And now, here it is.
And as always, I'm not following Rowling's plot exactly, but certain things play in.
Chapter 4: Anger Management
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On the train ride home, Harry sat in a compartment alone. Ginny refused to speak to him, and Neville and Luna, deciding that they weren't entirely thrilled with him at the moment either, got a compartment with her. Harry couldn't say that he blamed them. There were very few people in the world that he cared anything at all about, and Ginny was at the top of the list. But then he recalled something Professor Dumbledore had said at the end of Harry's fourth year.
"Remember, if the time should come when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy, remember what happened to a boy who was good, and kind, and brave, because he strayed across the path of Lord Voldemort."
Perhaps it wasn't completely relevant, but it had proved to him, in his own mind at least, that he had done the right thing. Staying with Ginny would have been easy, but eventually the time would come when Voldemort would find out, and use her just to get to him. This was so much harder, but it was better. There was less of a chance of her getting hurt just because she meant something to him. Well, getting hurt physically anyway.
Just as he thought that, Hermione and Ron stepped into the compartment. Hermione had her hand wrapped tightly around Ron's arm, and Ron seemed to be finding very very difficult not to start yelling. Hermione gave Ron's arm a forceful squeeze, obviously digging in her fingernails, and let go. Ron loosened up a little after that.
"Hi, Harry. They've finally let us off of prefect duties. Sitting by yourself?" Hermione said, her voice slightly higher than usual, and seemingly very stressed.
"Er, yeah. Ginny's obviously not very happy with me," Ron made a noise somewhere between a grunt and a snort. "And Neville and Luna are agreeing with her, so I was all by myself until you guys showed up. Not that I blame them of course. Even I'm beginning to hate me for this."
Hermione gave him a sad, but satisfied look. "Then why did you do it Harry?"
"Hermione, I've told you. Sooner or later I'm going to have face Voldemort, and I will not let him use the few people that mean something to me. I won't let them die because of me. It's happened to too many people I cared about already. I won't let Ginny be next. The only reason I haven't told you two to forget me, is because I know you won't listen to me. You're both far too stubborn for your own good."
Ron looked slightly indignant after this. He muttered a few inaudible things and then said very quietly, "I'm not stubborn."
"I just think that you're making things harder for yourself than you need to. And even if you're not with Ginny anymore, V-Voldemort, Ron, would you stop that, will still know that you care about her. It's just the way things work."
"You're wrong. I'm going to go to the Dursley's until my birthday, and then Dumbledore and I are going out to find the remaining Horcruxes. He's going back to Hogwarts at the end of the summer, and he thinks that I am too. But I'm not going anywhere until Voldemort's dead. Ron close your mouth, you can't come."
Ron looked disappointed. But then something in his face changed, and he just lost it. "So that's it? You're just going to up and leave? It doesn't matter what we say, because in the end you'll leave anyway! No! I won't let you do this! Not now! You're my best friend, Harry, and I won't let you get yourself killed, not when--" But then he suddenly, stopped short, and all the color drained from his face, and all his anger seemed to disappear.
"Not when what!" Harry yelled.
"Never mind, forget it. Do whatever you want. Let's go Hermione." Ron grabbed Hermione's hand a pulled her out into the hallway of the train, where they appeared to have a minor shouting match, but the door blocked the sound. Eventually, Hermione huffed off in the direction of the bathroom, and Ron stormed toward Ginny's compartment.
x
"Ron, would you stop that, I'm fine," Ginny said irritably, pulling her head out of her brother's hand. She wasn't used to this overprotective older brother routine he seemed to be in the middle of, and it was getting very frustrating.
"I just worry sometimes, Gin."
"Yeah, well. Worry a little less, would you? I've got one perfectly fine mother at home." Ron made a face at her for this. "Anyway, Neville, what were you saying?"
"I was just saying that I can't believe that Harry would do something like this. Leaving you, when you're pregnant? He always seemed so much more... I don't know. Better I guess. He always seemed better than that."
"He doesn't know. I haven't told him."
"Well, you'd better get a move on, Gin. He's planning on leaving after his birthday. And we don't know when he'll be back. Maybe, if you tell him, he won't do something stupid," Ron said, somewhere between sympathetic and irritated.
"He-he's leaving," Ginny struggled with the words.
"In theory. I think he's being thick but--" Ron stopped when Ginny shot him a look.
"He's going to get himself killed," Luna said rather matter-of-factly.
"Luna, don't say that. You don't know that," Ginny said weakly.
"Well, considering what he's up against, and the fact that he's barely seventeen, it does make sense that he wouldn't come out on the better end of this," Neville said sadly.
Ginny just shook her head. "You're wrong. All of you."
x
In the train station Ginny spotted her mother, and twin brothers waving to her. As soon as Ron passed through the barrier, she grabbed his wrist and pointed them out. The two of them started walking quickly toward their family. Fred and George both gave Ginny a quick hug and shook hands with Ron. Mrs. Weasley on the other hand, pulled them both into a suffocating hug. After she released them, she gave them analyzing looks.
"Ron, dear, have you grown again? You seem taller. Perhaps it's just those pants." She then reached out and began pulling on the end of Ginny's oversized tee-shirt. "Ginny, dear, have you put on a little weight?"
Ginny gave Ron a scared look, and then answered, "Well, mum, you know. I guess it was just too many Honeyduke's chocolates."
"Yes, well. You were on the thin side anyway. It did make me a little nervous." Mrs. Weasley gave her daughter a quick smile and then lead all four of her children out of the station.
While Fred and George had their mother engaged in a discussion about staying for dinner, Ginny quickly turned a punched Ron in the arm. "You told her didn't you. I trusted you, and you told her, you git."
"Hey, that hurt. And no, I didn't tell her. It's not my fault you're fat. I blame Harry."
"How is Harry, dear," Mrs. Weasley asked smiling at her two youngest children.
"He's fine, mum. I wouldn't expect him to be round this summer though. His having a minor bout of stupidity lately," Ron said angrily.
"He and Ron had a shouting match on the train. Something about going off with Dumbledore this summer," Ginny said.
"Oh, yes. I heard about that. I do hope he'll be alright. I really wish he wouldn't go, but I suppose it's not my place to say anything."
"And when has that ever stopped you, mum?" Fred asked playfully.
"Oh shush."
x
The next morning, Ron was the first into the kitchen, which surprised even him. Sitting down at the table, about to fall back asleep, he found a note sitting in the middle of the table. It read:
Dear family,
I cannot stay here this summer.
I love you all,
Ginny
"Oh man," Ron groaned. He put the note back where it had been, and headed back to his room. He didn't want to be there when his mother found that.
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That's it for this chapter. Let me know what you think.
