Nestled in the back corner of the cafe Ron sat alone mindlessly stirring the nearly empty cup in his right hand, switching it back to his left when he noticed the grip starting to get painful again. He'd arrived at the little cafe when they opened, a full hour earlier than he and Harry had agreed to meet, and had been staring expectantly at the door the whole time. After they departed the night before, Ron had headed back to the Lindworm Inn with a foolish hope for a peaceful night's sleep. This of course was simply not an option as he instead spent the evening restlessly turning about in his too soft bed thinking about everything that had happened since returning home.

In some ways he supposed he should just be grateful that he managed to escape the night without serious injury or maiming. Apart from the tense exchange he had with George, his family seemed if anything actually pleased to see him, something he wasn't sure if he should feel more relieved or guilty over. But he couldn't fully shake off the ache he was feeling over the stiffness he felt from everyone during the dinner, or the shameful awareness that all of the discomfort he felt was entirely of his own making. He had known of course that things wouldn't be the way they were before, that there would inevitably be tension between him and his family once he returned. But he hadn't considered just how desperately he'd want things to fall back into place once he returned. After months of isolation, anxiety, and fear he couldn't help but crave the security and closeness that only family could provide him. There was a distance between them all now, and it was one he wasn't entirely sure he knew how to close.

Unexpectedly the person who seemed most at ease with him after everything was Harry. He couldn't help but morosely wonder if he should take his friend's overall lack of outrage as a sign that he hadn't really missed him all that much while he'd been gone as he'd really thought Harry would be the most pissed off over the whole ordeal. He could definitely sense some underlying crossness within his friend but that didn't fully encompass the way he had been behaving.

In fact, it was a bit hard to place exactly how Harry was feeling towards him after everything. It could have been his own feelings being amplified from reuniting after so long apart, but there was something markedly changed in the way Harry was acting towards him. And it wasn't a bad thing, it was just… different. Despite the initial shock, his overall reaction to finding out Ron's preference towards men wasn't at all what he had expected, and if he took the risk of ignoring his own objecting insecurities and looked back on some of the things that were said the previous night, or the quick glances he caught here and there, it almost felt as if Harry was mirroring some of his own feelings back at him. Every time that unlikely conclusion cropped up he had to shake it away, realizing the fantasies he'd been focused on for so long were clearly starting to cloud his own judgment. Managing to somehow get together with Harry when he got home was the one dream that had kept him going during the whole horrible time he was undercover, but it was time to return back to reality. Still, there had been that moment in the garden last night, when Harry had tried to tell him why he and Ginny had split up. The look on his face made him think that maybe there was something more to what he was saying.

Looking objectively at his own ridiculous hopes he knew he was probably asking for too much. He was alive, his family and friends, though maybe not fully ready to move on, were there and didn't seem to hate him. And now everything was finally out in the open, no more secrets to hide from his family. He knew he still had some difficult conversations ahead of him, as the dinner the night before barely glossed over the myriad of issues that cropped up. There were still going to be questions about his time away, about why he left, and now of course a whole new host of inquiries into his failed marriage and the bomb he had not so subtly dropped on them regarding his sexuality. Though no one had reacted negatively to him admitting to his relationship with a wizard, he could see the questions in most everyone's eyes, and knew his mum wouldn't hold back when he next sees her one-on-one. Which, unfortunately for him, was set to happen in roughly 4 or 5 hours.

Sighing, he tried to put all his speculations about the day out of his mind as he started in on his fourth cup of tea. If he'd learned anything these last few days it was that he wasn't much of an expert in predicting the feelings of anyone, so trying to prepare for the inevitable clusterfuck of emotional conversations before him wasn't likely to bring him anywhere. Luckily as he reached this conclusion his time alone with his own thoughts came blissfully to an end as Harry walked into the tiny cafe. Judging by the bags under his eyes and his hair looking somehow even more ruffled than usual Ron guessed Harry had a similarly sleepless night.

"You're early" Harry told him, sounding a bit surprised.

"Couldn't sleep much, adjusting to the time change and all that" Ron told him, shrugging. Harry just nodded, apparently making his own judgment of what 'and all that' entailed. He dropped his bag heavily onto the chair next to Ron's and trudged over to the woman at the counter to make his order. Ron had been watching him closely since he walked in, trying to notice if any of the energy he had thought he'd picked up on the night before was still present or just something he'd concocted. At some point while waiting for the woman to finish filling up the extra large cup he had asked for Harry turned his head and caught Ron's blatant staring, making him quickly jerk his head back forward. Ron watched as a flush crept up the back of Harry's neck which was… well, strange, if not exactly evidence of anything. He supposed feeling uncomfortable by someone staring intently at you while your back's turned didn't really scream "I fancy you."

After paying Harry walked back over to him and hoisted his heavy bag back over his neck. "You ready to go then?" he asked him, gesturing towards the door with his drink. Ron first nodded in response but realized Harry hadn't noticed as he'd had his eyes fixed down at his feet.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm ready" he said, trying to hide the disappointment he felt towards the awkwardness he noticed emanating from Harry. So much for that energy then. Ron stood up and grabbed his own bag before walking side by side with Harry out of the cafe. They turned right and headed towards the road to work, falling into a familiar stride as they walked the path they had taken together nearly every day for over three years of their lives. For a few blocks neither of them said a word to each other. Harry would occasionally glance towards him looking like he was on the verge of saying something, but would ultimately drop his stance and keep walking.

"You don't think Gerritsen's going to be there, do you?" Harry finally asked, breaking the silence. Gerritsen was a tabloid reporter Harry and Ron felt a particular distaste towards as his questions always veered into extremely personal territory that regularly involved lewd assumptions. The man couldn't ask an on topic question to save his life.

Ron scrunched his nose up in distaste as he considered this, "probably, he always seems to be there for these things. If he is, I'll have to warn Mullins not to let him ask me any questions because if he tries to bring up anything about Hermione again there is no way I'm going to be able to think of a 'ministry approved' way of telling him where he ought to shove his Quick-Quotes quill."

Harry snorted and shook his head. They continued their walk while discussing their mutual hatred for press days like this, both recounting their worst encounters with journalists so far. At one point Harry started veering towards a story that happened while Ron was away but quickly dropped it, looking uneasy before moving on. Ron had been curious what he was going to say but decided it was best not to push it. He knew his time away was still a touchy subject and he wasn't going to force the issue, not when they were getting along like this. It wasn't exactly the same level of banter he was used to between the two of them, but it felt familiar enough to give Ron the sense of comfort he had missed from his time together with Harry. It gave him hope that things could go back to normal for the two of them, and though it made his heart skip a beat to consider listening to the tiny voice in his head suggesting it, that just maybe it could even be something more than that one day. Ron wasn't paying any attention to where he was going, his focus entirely on Harry as they walked, and he felt himself smiling serenely as he watched Harry laughing at his own joke. Most people saw Harry as serious and moody, not getting the chance to see him in his carefree moments. It felt like a gift to Ron whenever he was able to see Harry fully relaxed, something that only really became a common occurrence after the war. Whenever Harry was smiling it became the only thing Ron could see, and it was because of this that he hardly noticed when they reached their destination, leading him to instantly stop in his tracks in shock.

The ministry was roaring with activity. The number of people who had showed up for the early morning conference was staggering, leaving Ron to feel abruptly overwhelmed. He was able to avoid the majority of the crowd as he and Harry used the personnel entrance, but he felt his stomach start to squirm due to the number of people surrounding him. Harry must have picked up on his discomfort as he had grabbed him by the arm and was leading him towards the Department of International Magical Cooperation where they were set to meet.

The office was far tamer than the atmosphere outside but was still swarming with more people than usual. Heads turned when they walked in, and a few calls rang out towards him. He felt as Harry pulled him by his sleeve to the back of the room.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked him, sounding a little worried. Ron nodded, grateful for his friends' navigation skills and frankly just his mere presence. If anyone understood getting overwhelmed by too much attention, it was Harry. Ron tried to smile down at him as he saw the concerned look on his face. Looking up into the crowd he noticed a smaller person with a mane of hair pushing through people along the zigzagged path they had just taken to get to them. By the time Hermione squeezed through the last group of people in front of them she was looking indignant.

"Honestly, what are half of these people doing here? I know for certain the Department of Arboreal Enchantments have absolutely nothing to do with this press conference and most of their staff is here! I even saw Royster at the front of the room and he works in the cafeteria. Ron, are you alright? You look pale."

Ron only took in about half of her rant as he was trying to calm himself down. "Yeah, 'm fine. Just haven't been around this many people in a while," he told her honestly.

"Hmph. Well there really shouldn't be this many people here to begin with. It's just how it always is, a big case happens and everyone wants to feel involved."

Ron had to agree with her on that. He looked around the room and noticed people from the ministry he really didn't feel had any business being here. Occasionally he'd see someone he recognized, spotting Perkiss across the room who looked stony as he turned immediately around upon seeing him, giving Ron a pang of guilt. Then there was an ambassador for Hungary he recognized from a previous auror mission who waved politely at him, an older witch he knew through his dad's department who winked when he noticed her, and then-

"David?"

He saw Harry and Hermione spin around after hearing him, watching as the sandy haired auror strode over from the other side of the room and managed to squeeze himself into their cramped back corner.

"Surprised then?" he asked, looking amused. This hardly covered Ron's feelings towards his sudden appearance.

"Definitely. What- How are you here?" he sputtered.

"Well, after you left I spoke with Hawley and Vanderloh and they seemed to think it was a shame that there wasn't anyone from the Australian auror department here to represent us for the press, especially considering this was our mission and all. So I dutifully volunteered to come and freeze for a few days in the British summer."

Ron stared at him open-mouthed for a moment. Saying goodbye in Australia had been difficult for Ron, and though he had been hoping he'd be able to see David again, seeing him this unexpectedly while he was still trying to reincorporate himself into his old life left him feeling completely off kilter. Considering the present circumstances though he did feel a little relieved to have him here by his side before having to face the litany of questions that were awaiting him. David was the only one who knew what everything in Australia had really been like for him.

"Well at least it will be a bit more scenic than freezing in the Australian winter back home, but thanks for your sacrifice anyway" he jibed back with an uneasy smile, still taking everything in.

"London is 'scenic' now is it? Guess you'll have to show me," he smirked at him before turning his attention to Harry and Hermione, who had been standing back watching the exchange. "So you're Harry Potter then? Ron you were right, he's definitely much smaller in person. I'm David Farrow"

Ron winced as David smiled and offered his hand to Harry who's expression looked caught between bemusement and irritation. Harry shook it halfheartedly, shooting Ron a quick glare.

"And you must be the former Mrs. Weasley then," Hermione looked startled to be addressed this way, which David immediately picked up on, "still a bit early for that joke, I take it. Apologies then, either way it's great to meet you. I've only heard good things." Hermione took his hand with uncertainty while Ron stood behind her hoping silently for the floor to swallow him whole to escape the awkwardness of this encounter.

David then turned back to Ron, taking him fully in and turning a bit more serious. "So you feel ready for this then?"

"As ready as I can be I guess… but if the whole thing got canceled right now I wouldn't be put off by it."

David nodded, seeming to understand. "It'll be over in no time mate, we'll get through it." He clapped his hand over his shoulder to be reassuring, which Ron appreciated in his current anxious state. He noticed from the corner of his eye that Harry was still glaring at David, looking flustered. "Want to grab lunch after? You can give me that scenic tour I distinctly remember you promising."

"He can't, he's meeting with mum after" Harry interjected flatly. Ron turned and gave David an apologetic look.

"Yeah I promised to go see her after we're done today. We still haven't really talked about everything."

David nodded at him, "makes sense, I'm glad you're taking the time to see her, I know how worried you've been about it," he told him earnestly, "well, how about this evening then? I think I'd fancy seeing an English pub, Natalie swears by them."

"Yeah, that would be great. There's a few good ones nearby I know of. Not sure where you're staying but we can always meet up back at the ministry? Around six o clock at the visitors entrance?"

David's grin widened, "sounds good to me."

"We'll come too," Harry announced suddenly, looking from Ron to David as Hermione shot him a bewildered look.

David's smile faltered for a split second as he gave Harry a curious look. Within a blink it was back though and he looked as self assured as before. "That sounds great. I'd love to get to know you both better, Ron talked about you a lot. Can't wait to see if you live up to the hype."

Ron looked between the two wizards, noticing the tense air that was settling around them. Before he could add anything more to the conversation he heard the amplified voice of Mr. Mullins announce to the room that all parties directly involved in the press conference needed to come forward.

"Fuck, already," he groaned, desperately wishing for a way out of the next few hours. "I'll see you both later then, yeah?"

"Good luck," Hermione hugged him and offered an encouraging grin.

"You'll do great," Harry told him sincerely.

Ron gave them a grateful smile, turning as David nudged his arm to guide him forward. He was still nervous but the support from his friends helped, and he felt comforted knowing he'd be spending time with them more this evening, once all the messy bits were out of the way. He just hoped that when they met up later the strange tension he noticed wouldn't be there.

/

There was a debate raging inside of Ron as he stood outside the burrow, trying to decide if he should go in or put this whole thing off for another day. He had come home with the explicit intention of facing everything that awaited him head on, but that was before he had experienced the weight of emotional exhaustion that had been growing in the day and a half since he'd come home.

The press conference was, as he'd expected, completely awful. The questions they received ranged from inane, like asking if the current developments were going to affect travel prices, to downright accusatory, such as the question from one witch demanding to know if the British government had secretly been supporting The New Confederation behind the scenes. It took all of his patience to stick to the scripted responses he was given instead of snapping at the vultures, and he was mostly successful, barring the moment Gerritsen managed to sneak in a question about his divorce. He suspected Mullins had quickly cast a nonverbal silencing spell on him though as no one had any reaction to the litany of curse words he threw at the nosy git. By the time he left the ministry to head to the Burrow he was in a sour mood, something he knew wouldn't aid the conversation he was set to have with his mum.

When he finally decided to walk into the burrow he was briefly startled by the strange level of silence he noticed when he walked into the home. Being as he only tended to come over for family gatherings after moving out he had not taken a lot of time to consider how different the rambunctious home must be now that it was only his parents living there. There was a sense of loneliness resting inside, leaving Ron to feel that he should perhaps make these one-on-one visits more frequent.

His mum found him quickly, having heard the front door close behind him. She spent the first few minutes of his arrival merely fussing, offering to give him cake, advice on his clothing choices, and a haircut nearly all in the same breath. Ron graciously accepted the cake and in no unclear terms declined the other offers.

They sat down at the small kitchen table and sipped their tea in amicable silence. At first Ron thought that just maybe he'd be able to escape this encounter without any difficult conversations as he got close to finishing his cake and drink. Of course this fantasy was promptly shot down when his mother not-so-casually started asking questions about the previous evening, quickly revving herself up to get into the bulk of the matter. Though uncomfortable, Ron was prepared for this and managed to get through most of her questions without much pushback, letting her know how long he'd 'been this way' (always), that no, he did not like girls at all, yes, Hermione did know, and yes, she is ok. He was a little surprised that he managed to stay so put together for this conversation until she finally asked a question that caught him off guard, mostly due to the hurt and subtle anger he heard enter into her voice.

"So this this why you left? Because you didn't want to tell us?"

"What? No! I didn't go to Australia to 'leave' you guys, I went to help. I went because I thought it was the right thing to do, how could you even think that?"

His mother shook her head, not seeming to believe his words. "Because you were pulling away before all of this. Every week you'd come by and I'd watch you pull further and further away from us, even though I was always reaching out. Then you get offered this awful thing across the world from your family, and you just take it without a word to anyone. So really, what would you like for me to think?"

Ron swallowed, unsure what to say to that. Getting away from his family was never a deciding factor in his decision, but he had wondered often if he would have even considered going if things hadn't been so tense between them all at the time.

"I still don't understand why you were so angry with us, Ron," she continued, her voice shaking with emotion, "I thought about it constantly after we thought we'd lost you. You announce this divorce completely out of nowhere and then you start attacking everyone in your life trying to help you. Why didn't you just tell me why?"

Ron looked away from her, trying to reel in the emotions he could feel gnawing away at him as he remembered back to this time in his life.

"Do you remember the first thing you said to me after I told you Hermione and I had split up?" he finally asked her, his voice unexpectedly even. His mother looked surprised by the question, huffing up at once.

"Well not the exact words obviously, but I'm quite sure I asked if you were alright."

Ron shook his head, willing away the moisture in his eyes as his voice finally broke. "No. You said 'what did you do?' That was the first thing you could think of. That I must have done something wrong. Like always. It just felt like no matter what I did I kept messing up. With school, with my job, and then with Hermione. I was tired of disappointing everyone, so at that point I figured I should just keep my mouth shut and move on."

Molly didn't say anything at first. She reached out and gripped his hands with her own, trying to will his eyes back towards her. Eventually he gave in, looking at his mother full on.

"I've never been disappointed in you, Ronnie. Never. And don't scoff, I may not have always understood the choices you've made, but that doesn't mean I've ever felt disappointed in you."

Ron really didn't know what to say as he felt her words break something down in him. For as long as he could remember he'd been letting his fears of what everyone would think about him dictate nearly everything he did. Dictate whether or not he was allowed to be happy, or just be himself. He'd avoided having conversations like this at all costs as he was terrified of finding out what the people he loved truly thought of him. It was only now that he was realizing that maybe he'd been far harder on himself than he really needed to.

The rest of the afternoon went by far more comfortably, the tension between his mum and himself having slipped neatly away. He could only hope that he'd be able to rebuild these connections with the rest of his family in time. Perhaps tomorrow he would take some time to go see George and try to repair some of the damage there. He figured starting with the person who experienced the most hurt from his 'death' would make dealing with everyone else feel easy in comparison. For now though he was ready to go back to the ministry to meet up with his ex-wife, his friend that he had been hooking up with on and off for the last year, and his best friend that he's secretly in love with to enjoy a quiet and relaxed evening out drinking. Hopefully.