Harry didn't sleep at all the entire day and night after the surprise meeting with Robards and the Weasleys. After storming out of the conference room he spent several hours walking with purpose to nowhere around muggle London, desperately trying to shake off the anger and hurt he was feeling. His aimless wandering didn't manage to achieve that, but after several hours he took the ache in his legs and his increasing exhaustion as a sign that it was time to head home. After twisting and turning in bed for the rest of the day he headed into work with a clear intention: Get through the night, and demand answers in the morning.
Under the guise of reviewing case reports submitted by his trainees Harry spent his entire shift planning out all of the things he wanted to say to Ron when he arrived in the morning. He came up with a number of speeches, one including no less than twelve variations of the word 'idiot' and a few unique and colorful ways to convey 'thoughtless prick.' By the time he got off of work he felt more than prepared to share exactly how he felt when the bastard arrived. He decided to meet Hermione first and ask her to come along as well, presuming she too would have words she would like to share. Reluctantly she agreed to join him, her interest in seeing Ron arrive just barely beating out her anxiety of possibly being late. So they set off together to wait outside of the auror department until they knew he'd be returning a little past 8:00am.
Hermione had been the first to notice him, and she grabbed Harry's wrist tightly to convey this. Following her eyes, he saw him as he walked up to the office door with Mullins and Robards, stopping outside to talk. Within a moment blue eyes locked onto his own, and every resentful thing he had planned to say started to dissipate from his mind.
He had been told by Robards that the mission had been hard on Ron, but hearing it was definitely different than seeing it. The way his eyes had darted nervously around the corridor, the way he stood slightly hunched and closed off, the few new small scars that marked his face which was certainly more hollow and defined than it had been before. It was obvious that his friend's time away had taken a toll, and he couldn't find it in himself to add a shouting match in his first five minutes back to the list of things he felt Ron needed to be facing. Instead he felt the instant desire to be closer, the relief of Ron alive and in front of him beating out the anger he felt fading away little by little.
Without thinking he found himself closing the distance between the two of them, barely noticing the sound of Hermione hurrying behind him. Ron, watching him, matched his strides and they came to a dead stop in the middle of the hall, causing the gawking passerbys in the crowded corridor to awkwardly loop around them. Their eyes were still locked together though neither of them said a word, leaving Hermione to be the one to break the silence.
"You have no idea how much we missed you" she choked out, grabbing Ron around the middle in a tight squeeze, causing him to jump a little in surprise as he looked down at her. Pulling away, she suddenly smacked him not too gently on the arm. "Honestly, what were you thinking? I'm so glad you're alright but you better promise me you'll never do anything like this ever again," she added sternly.
He stepped back from her, offering a small penitent grin, "Never again. I missed you too, 'Mione."
She sniffed, giving him a curt nod. "Good. You still owe me an explanation for all of this, Ronald Weasley. I wish I could stay with you longer, but I'm already running late. I just wanted to make sure I at least saw you when you came in. I'll be seeing you later this evening for dinner at the Burrow with everyone, we'll talk more then." She squeezed him a final time before scurrying off down the hall, leaving just Harry and Ron together.
"Dinner at the Burrow? It's Tuesday isn't it?" Ron asked, frowning.
"Well your mum decided to bring everyone together tonight. It's not every day you have the opportunity to invite your dead son to dinner" Harry told him, noting the bitter tone his joke held immediately as Ron winced in response.
"Harry, I-" he started, breaking eye contact to look around the room as if he was hoping he'd find what he needed to say written on the walls somewhere. "I reckon you're pretty pissed off at me, which is fair. I swear I didn't mean for anyone to get hurt by any of this, but I know it's all probably been pretty upsetting."
"Yeah, I am," Harry agreed, trying to hold back his frustration, "And It was a lot more than 'pretty upsetting,' Ron. You really have no idea what this was like for everyone. I just don't understand why you would do this."
"People were dying, Harry. What else could I have done?" Ron asked wearily.
"You could have said no," Harry answered simply.
"Would you have?"
Harry didn't answer right away, because he knew the answer. If he was given the same proposition as Ron was, a chance to save as many lives as he had, he certainly would have made the same sacrifice.
"Maybe not," he conceded, "but I would have told you. I've always told you everything, you know I have. So I don't get why you wouldn't have at least told me about this."
Ron looked away guiltily. "It all happened really fast, Harry, and I don't even think I would have known how to if I'd had the time. We weren't really talking much back then."
Now it was Harry's turn to look guilty. Ron looked back at him nervously, clearly waiting for Harry to continue the argument, but the urge to fight was already crumbling away from him. He was still upset, and realistically knew he would be for quite some time. But it was paired closely with the overwhelming sense of relief he was feeling in the moment. Ron, the person he missed most and would have given anything to get back, was actually here.
"It's really good to see you," Harry finally told him, offering a small yet warm smile that seemed to catch Ron off guard before he returned the grin.
"You too, mate. I missed you"
"Yeah?"
"Everyday" Ron answered sincerely. The warmth Harry had been feeling at the start of his encounter seemed to double at this, which wasn't helped by the way the two of them continued to stare at each other as if terrified the other was going to disappear if they looked away. All things considered, Harry thought, it wasn't too ridiculous of a fear. The moments ticked by before Ron started to look uncomfortable again.
"So mum wants me to come to dinner then?" he asked, sounding a little uncertain. Harry knew how nervous Ron must be to see his family again.
"Yeah, when are you meant to be finished up with them?" Harry nodded towards Robards and Mullins who had been watching them with mixed expressions of impatience and curiosity.
"No idea, actually. They said a few hours, but it's still early. I can try to be there before six at least I'm sure."
"Why don't I meet you in the atrium? We can go together" Harry offered. Ron immediately looked relieved by this, allowing some of the tension in his shoulders to drop noticeably.
"Yeah, that would be great. I'll see you then" Ron smiled before striding back over to Robards and entering the department.
/
Harry arrived back at the ministry fifteen minutes early and found himself waiting without a hint of patience. Their brief conversation in the corridor earlier wasn't nearly enough time to fully shake off the disbelief that Ron was actually here, alive and well, and a growing part of him worried this whole thing had just been something his sleep deprived brain had constructed. It wasn't until he saw Ron's tall form striding over towards him that he was able to relax a bit.
"You're done then? How was it?" Harry asked when Ron finally slowed to a stop in front of him. He looked notably nervous, standing with his hands in his pockets as before.
"Brutal. Talking with Robards was fine but Mullins spent the whole time chastising me on my 'juvenile and crude speech patterns.' Apparently calling Dolohov 'a raging psychopathic prick' doesn't fall under ministry approved language."
Harry snorted, which seemed to put Ron more at ease as he stood up a little straighter. They spent a few minutes making jibes towards Mullins and the ministry, creating a familiar pattern for the two of them. It wasn't until their laughter died down and Harry started making moves towards the fireplaces that he remembered the present circumstances that had brought them there. Ron hadn't moved to follow him at all and was staring resolutely at the ground.
"Would it be ok if we didn't floo, Harry? I'd rather apparate outside so I can, you know…"
Harry did know. With how nervous Ron seemed, landing straight into the living room with his whole family present probably wasn't what he needed at the moment.
"Yeah, that's fine."
They turned and made a beeline for the apparition point nearest to them. Harry decided they should side-along to their destination, partially for convenience, but also because he wasn't sure Ron was focused enough to manage on his own at the moment. They landed outside of the garden, and as Harry took in Ron's paled complexion he figured he was right in his assessment.
"Do you need a few minutes?" he asked. Ron merely nodded in reply. Though Harry knew Ron owed everyone currently in the Burrow an explanation, he couldn't help but feel sorry for him. All Harry could think about for the last seven months were the ways he wished he could have been there for his friend, and that desire was still heavily present. Harry tried to think of something to say to help distract him before they walked into the onslaught inside.
"Nice robes" he finally landed on, immediately kicking himself for not being able to come up with anything better to break the awkward silence. Ron seemed to take a moment to hear Harry through the darkened thoughts that were evidently consuming him.
"What? Oh. Thanks. The Australian team let me keep them. Lucky for me, since I misplaced the ones I arrived in at some point."
"They look good." It wasn't a lie. The turquoise robes he had on looked pristine and form fitting, and unlike the red auror robes he was used to seeing Ron in, complimented as opposed to clashed with his bright hair. Ron's eyebrows quickly raised as he looked curiously at him, obviously thrown off by the sudden compliment.
"'Spose we should go in and get this over with," he sighed out, and started making a slow march towards the back door with Harry at his side, "any chance there's any other big family news you could distract mum with long enough to stop her from killing me? Is Fleur pregnant again? Or Audrey?" he asked, half-jokingly, half-desperately. Before Harry could answer Ron came to a sudden stop.
"Shit I can't believe I forgot! Your wedding, I missed it!" he burst out, causing Harry's stomach to churn uncomfortably, "I should have brought you and Ginny a gift, that might have softened mum up a little… Bit late I know, but congratulations."
"Nothing to congratulate, actually" Harry admitted uncomfortably, eyes focused resolutely on his shoes as he started making patterns in the dirt on the ground.
"What do you mean?" he heard Ron ask.
"I'm not married. Ginny and I ended things actually."
"What? Why?"
Harry was saved from having to answer by the sudden loud bang of the back door being thrown open. Both men looked up to see Mrs. Weasley standing in the doorway in a dirtied apron, clearly having heard them outside from the kitchen. She stood transfixed as her eyes latched onto Ron immediately who froze upon seeing her.
"Hi, mum" he finally managed to croak out, voice uneven with emotion. And at those two words she came running forward, only stopping when she had her arms around her son. Ron pulled his own arms out from underneath her grip and matched the hug back with the same intensity as his mother cried into his chest, closing his eyes tightly as moisture started to fill his own as well.
Harry looked from the scene in front of him to the back door which had filled up with people. Arthur pushed his way out and joined the entanglement of his wife and son, leaving behind Ginny, George, Percy, and Charlie, with the others likely standing behind out of view. Though Ginny and Percy looked excited and relieved to see their brother standing outside the door, Harry noticed Charlie's and George's expressions looking far stonier.
After several long, tearful moments Mrs. Weasley finally pulled back with her hands still gripped firmly on her son's arms. Taking in his appearance with pursed lips Harry fully expected her to start immediately fussing over him, but instead watched as she shook her head and stepped back.
"Come inside then, you look like you can use a meal," she told him gently, cupping his scarred cheek briefly before stepping away and heading inside, allowing Ron and Harry to follow suit.
Upon entering the Burrow Ron was assaulted with hugs and tears from Ginny, Bill, Fleur, Audrey, and Percy, causing him to look both relieved and overwhelmed. Between these rounds of pleasantries Harry noticed him looking around the cluttered kitchen with a look of fondness he couldn't ever remember seeing him give his childhood home.
"Alright, alright, give your brother some breathing room," Arthur chuckled, "let's all go take a seat at the table."
Hermione, who must have arrived before them, was already seated, and looked mildly uncomfortable. This was her first time in the Burrow since the funeral, so Harry wasn't too surprised to see this. George and Charlie were also already seated side by side across from her, engaged in what seemed to be an intense whispering match which abruptly ended once everyone came into the room. As Mrs. Weasley started filling plates Harry moved to sit down by Hermione but halted as she suddenly stopped him, pointing a dripping serving spoon in his direction.
"Ah! Not that seat Harry dear. Ron's sitting there. You can sit on his other side beside Ginny."
Harry caught Ron's eye at this and noted that they were sharing the same level of discomfort over this arrangement. He expected Ron to say something about it and was mildly surprised when he simply nodded and took the seat his mother had indicated. He supposed Ron was really making all efforts not to upset her tonight.
Dinner started off quietly enough, everyone too submerged in the meal to speak up, or perhaps too afraid to upset the unexpected peace of the moment. Hermione was the first to break the spell, starting off the inevitable questioning as casually as possible.
"So Ron, what were the wizarding communities in Australia like? I only really got to see the muggle areas when I went, but I know there are some beautiful towns. I've heard there's a community near Melbourne that's mastered underwater architecture, were you able to see it?"
Everyone at the table became noticeably quiet, looking towards Ron with curiosity. Ron noted the sudden attention and slowly put down the fork loaded with baked potato he was just about to bite off.
"Um, no. I didn't really get to sightsee or anything while I was there," he mumbled awkwardly.
"Oh, of course not." Hermione replied soberly, clearly realizing what Ron meant.
"I saw the beach briefly," he said, "it was nice. Warmer than here."
"Oh yes, the beaches there really are beautiful, I remember-" Hermione suddenly jumped along with half of the family at the loud clang that had just reverberated across the table. George had thrown his fork onto his plate and was staring down aggressively at it.
"I'm sorry, but are we really all going to sit here together and pretend that everything is normal?" he growled out, before looking up directly to Ron, "do you have any idea what you did? To everyone here?"
The little color that returned to Ron since the dinner began immediately drained, but he looked straight back at George, something Harry wasn't sure he'd be able to do if George had been looking at him with the same vehement expression.
"Yeah, George, I think I do. And I'm sorry. I really am. I didn't do this to hurt anyone, I know it wasn't easy to-"
"'Wasn't easy'? It 'wasn't easy'? We had a fucking funeral, Ron! We thought you were dead! You made us think- you made ME think- that I had lost another brother" he choked out, anger etched into every word.
"I know," Ron responded remorsefully, "I wish there had been another way, I would have taken it if there was. But there wasn't any other choice to make it work."
"No. Fuck no! You didn't have to do this!" George leaned forward, nearly rising from his chair as he shouted at his brother.
"George-" Arthur interrupted, looking warily between his two sons as the rest of the family watched on in apprehension.
"Well I don't see it that way" Ron snapped back as he leaned forward himself to meet George halfway, quickly allowing some of the infamous Weasley anger he had been noticeably trying to reign in to emerge, "People were dying, George. Everywhere. I had a chance to do something about it, so I did. The whole thing was miserable and difficult, but when I chose to be an auror that meant there was always a possibility I'd have to make sacrifices like this."
"That's right, Ron, YOU chose this. None of us did!"
"STOP!" Molly had risen from her chair, eyes darting between her two sons who had both closed their mouths and leaned back into their seats at the finality of her tone. "Stop. I'm not having this, not tonight, not after everything! If you two want to yell yourselves hoarse, do it on your own time, not over my dinner table. I think I'm entitled to ask for one peaceful meal together with my children. So please. Stop."
Ron and George stiffly nodded, looking quickly away from each other. Everyone else stared fixedly into their own plates, making less than subtle glances towards the two as they went back to their meals. Molly however continued to stare at Ron as she stood, frowning after a few moments.
"Ronnie? Are you cold? Your hands are shaking."
Harry watched as Ron quickly dropped them under the table, looking oddly embarrassed.
"I'm fine. They just do that sometimes now, after… some of the things that happened," he mumbled evasively, "I'm taking some potions for it though, it's supposed to go away pretty soon they said," he added in what was meant to be a reassuring tone as he noticed the concerned looks around him. Harry found himself continuing to stare under the table at Ron's trembling hands, remembering Robards letting them know of the 'longer lasting effects' Ron was experiencing from his capture. Worry was laced together with anger towards the people who had done this, and he found himself suddenly wanting to reach out and grab Ron's hands to… something. Help still them maybe? Or reassure him. Regardless, he fought the impulse and turned his attention back to the unusually quiet dinner table.
"So, did you end up seeing anyone while you were down there? I've heard the girls in Australia are gorgeous," Bill asked playfully in a clear attempt to lighten the heavy air that was currently stifling the room.
"Bill!" Molly shouted, looking pointedly at Hermione, who waved her hands signaling she didn't care about the line of questioning. Ron however had suddenly become very rigid, looking intently down at his plate as everyone else turned towards him again. Bill looked like he was about to apologize for the question when Ron hadn't answered for so long before he finally spoke up.
"Yeah. I did."
"Oh really, what's her name then?" Bill asked, smirking at him.
"David," he said quietly.
Even George looked up at him to make sure he had heard correctly.
"David? So they're…"
"A bloke, yeah," Ron said in an almost casual voice, "can you pass the gravy, Ginny?" Ginny, who didn't look remotely surprised by this revelation, passed it over graciously as she looked around the table, clearly amused by the reactions around the room.
"Huh. Alright," Bill shrugged, looking curious but unbothered. This mirrored most of the faces around the table. Percy and George looked like they were on the verge of asking some follow up questions, but Mrs. Weasley looked absolutely flummoxed.
"I don't understand," Molly said slowly, looking suspiciously between Ron and Hermione, who was beaming at Ron. He caught her eye and offered a half smile back before turning to his mother.
"I spent some time seeing a wizard, there's not much more to understand than that mum."
"But-"
"Can we just not talk about this right now? Please? You asked for a peaceful family dinner, and I really, really don't want to argue. Especially not about this"
Mrs. Weasley looked for a moment as if she wanted to push it but ultimately let it go in favor of peace, for the time being at least. She pointedly moved the conversation to Percy and Audrey who had recently announced an engagement, which allowed Ron to relax back into his seat. After a few curious looks in Ron's direction everyone turned back to their own plates or the new conversation. Everyone but Harry that is, who had been staring open mouthed at Ron for the whole encounter.
Surprised didn't cover the mixture of emotions Harry suddenly felt at this revelation. Having spent the better part of the last thirteen years together Harry felt like he knew everything there was to know about his best friend, down to his least favorite sweet and his preferred toothpaste brand. To have missed something this monumental about him was shocking to Harry who felt he's always had a pretty good read on people. Though, he had to admit, that didn't always extend into relationships and understanding the feelings of those around him. And it wasn't as if he had a lot of examples to look to on this. He wasn't thick enough to not realize that there were gay witches and wizards, it just wasn't something people talked much about beyond the jokes he'd hear at school, and as a result not something he ever put much thought into.
This was only half of what was bothering Harry, though. Hearing Ron admit this suddenly put a spotlight onto the murky feelings he'd been experiencing recently. Losing his friend had made him realize just how much he had needed him, how desperately he wanted to be close to him again, how he was the only one that ever had made Harry feel safe and secure, and so much more. He had written all of that off to grief, even if part of him knew those feelings were there under the surface long before Ron was gone. But now that he was back, they hadn't dissipated. In fact if anything they felt strengthened. He knew deep down that the feelings he was having surpassed that of normal friendship, but it wasn't until Ron shared this part of himself that it really clicked.
While he was trying to process the sudden storm of thoughts and emotions clouding his mind he suddenly realized Ron was staring back at him, looking apprehensive.
"You ok, mate?" he whispered to him nervously.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."
"Are you sure?" Ron asked again searchingly, and Harry realized what he was actually asking.
"Absolutely. Good for you, mate, really" he tried to add a smile but wasn't sure he succeeded as Ron's expression didn't change any before he turned back to the table and began chatting with Hermione. Harry noticed himself starting to feel a little lightheaded as all the emotions of the day pooled together inside of him. He kept glancing towards Ron through the rest of the dinner, completely tuning out whatever conversations were being had and trying to see if he noticed anything different.
Harry hadn't exactly missed the fact that his friend was attractive, objectively speaking. He was tall, toned without too much muscle, and his piercing eyes were something he regularly heard witches complimenting. Allowing himself to actually look in this new light made him notice things he hadn't paid any attention to before though. Like how the height of his cheekbones strengthened his face, or how when he smiled the right corner of his lips went up just a little bit higher than the left. Taking Ron in so completely caused reality to hit him painfully, those lightly buried feelings suddenly overflowing to the point that it was becoming hard to breathe. This went beyond friendship, beyond the connection he had formed with Ginny or the feelings he had for any witch before her, this was him falling completely for his best friend in a way he never knew could be possible before. And he had no idea what to do with this realization.
Before he had too long to think about the absolute mess he had found himself in he noticed Hermione standing up and putting on her coat.
"Thank you so much for having me over Mr. and Mrs. Wealsey, dinner was lovely."
"Of course, dear," Mrs. Weasley said warmly, "please do come back again soon. You know you're always welcome."
Hermione smiled in thanks, before turning to Ron and engulfing him in a tight hug, "I'll owl you tomorrow so we can make those lunch plans and talk more. I really want to hear everything."
"I'll be on the lookout. And don't work all night, even you need rest once in a while" he chastised her playfully, earning an eye roll. She said her goodbyes to the table before leaving them.
"I should probably head out too, Robards wants me in at 6am tomorrow, and I'm already dead tired from adjusting to the time change" Ron informed the family.
"Leave? To where? You aren't staying here?" Mrs. Weasley asked anxiously, clearly not expecting her recently returned son to be leaving so quickly.
"They put me up in an inn near the ministry for the fortnight. All my things are already there. The meetings with the press are supposed to end early tomorrow though, I can come by after for tea. I mean if that's alright, that is."
"I-of course, dear. Just let me know when you'll be arriving," she told him with a strained smile, clearly still struggling to see him go. Ron smiled back gratefully and got up to grab his coat.
"I'll walk you out" Harry blurted out as he suddenly jumped up, startling Ginny at his side so much that she knocked her drink onto her half-eaten plate and fixed him with an aggravated glare. "Robards asked all the team leads to be on site for tomorrow morning, so I should really head out too."
He joined Ron in saying their goodbyes to the family. Though there was still some stiffness and discomfort around the table Harry noted everyone, even George, seemed at least a little more at ease than when they had arrived earlier in the evening. It would take time for everyone to adjust, he knew. Too much had happened to have everything fixed in one night.
Once they stepped outside into the garden and closed the door behind them he watched Ron's whole body relax as he sighed heavily out.
"Well that was tense. Still, could have been worse. I half expected George to clock me on the jaw," Ron mused. Harry merely nodded in agreement as he watched him searching through his robes for something as they came to a stop by the garden wall.
"Aha! Cheers, Natalie," he mumbled to himself after pulling out what looked like a small bronzed flask which he proceeded to take a long swill of, grimacing in response. "Want some?" he asked, offering it over.
"What is it?"
"No idea," Ron shrugged. Harry took it with uneasiness and followed suit, coughing almost immediately at the flavor that could only be described as sweetened lighter fluid, causing Ron to snicker next to him. Once he was able to compose himself he asked Ron the question that had been burning in his mind for the last hour.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Ron's laugh died immediately, a flush of irritation covering his face. "I already told you Harry, I wasn't allowed to tell anyone. You're acting like it was personal."
Harry shook his head, "that's not what I'm talking about."
Realization dawned on Ron's face. "Oh."
Harry watched him silently for a few moments as Ron seemed to gather his thoughts, running a shaking hand nervously through his hair. "I don't really know Harry, it just never felt like something I could do."
"Why? Did I do anything to make you think you couldn't trust me to know this about you?"
"No! It's not that. I just… I didn't really admit it to myself for a long while there. I thought it was something I'd be able to get over, so I just did what I thought I was supposed to do. Growing up all mum and dad would talk about was how we needed to finish school, find a good job, marry a nice witch, and settle down. Well, I didn't finish school, and you remember mum going ballistic over that. And then I chose a job she hates for me, probably more now than ever."
Harry shook his head, trying to understand his line of reasoning, "so you were worried your mum was going to be upset and what, disown you or something?"
"No, not exactly," he said uncomfortably, shifting his stance so Harry couldn't catch his eye. "When I got with Hermione, I remember her telling me how proud she was. And it wasn't just her, everyone in the family was telling me how happy they were for me, they'd been telling me for years that we were meant to be together. So when it finally happened, it felt like it was the first thing I'd ever really gotten right. And I did love Hermione, I really wanted it to work. But as time went on it was obvious to me that she loved me in a way I didn't love her, even though I really tried. After a while she realized it too. And then she realized why, even though I tried to deny it, which was a shit move on my part I know. Eventually though I had to admit she deserved to be with someone who could love her in a way I couldn't. So we ended it."
Harry suddenly remembered talking to Hermione after the funeral all those months ago, when she told him that she and Ron didn't share the 'right kind of love.' Suddenly that conversation was making a lot more sense.
"I know I should have just told everyone then," Ron continued quietly, looking back towards the lights in the burrow, "but I didn't want to disappoint anyone more than I already had."
"I don't think anyone is disappointed in you for being interested in blokes, mate, even if they're upset about everything else at the moment. I'm glad you said something, but you definitely chose an interesting night to do it."
Ron chuckled at that, "yeah, well, in for a knut in for a galleon right?" He sipped again at the disgusting mystery fluid before trying to hand it back to Harry, who pushed it away with a grimace.
"So, on the topic of relationships" Ron started after it was clear that neither of them were making any efforts to leave the darkened garden, "why did you and Ginny end things then?"
Harry had been waiting for that question. He thought for a moment about telling him everything, about how difficult things were after he 'died,' how Harry almost went crazy with grief and was the only one truly trying to find out what happened to him. About the many fights he and Ginny had over his obsession and his lack of dedication to their relationship. Ultimately, he decided dumping the whole sordid story was just too much right now.
"We just didn't have the right kind of love to keep it going," he finally said with a shrug. Ron looked at him curiously, and as he opened his mouth to ask an inevitable follow up question Harry interrupted him.
"We should probably both head out. Want to meet at that little cafe we used to go to before work tomorrow? We can head in together after."
For a moment Ron looked like he was going to push forward with the line of questioning he clearly had on his mind, but in the spirit of the evening he dropped it with a sigh.
"Yeah, that sounds good. See you tomorrow then, Harry."
And, left with more questions than answers from the busy day, Harry apparated home, embracing the relief he felt in finally being alone to process everything he had heard that night.