39. Demons

He's in a foul mood every time it heavily rains.

Hermione figures it out before him. Of course she does, she's brilliant. You're worthless.

It takes him longer to click. To connect his irritability with his guilt. To remember that it was pouring rain that day.

It's harder to shut down the lingering thoughts of the locket when the rain washes over him like it did then.

Ron yells at her. The weather has been miserable and rainy for five days. He's been edgy all week. So when he comes home, soaking wet because he had to Apparate outside the apartment because she puts too many protective enchantment up, still, and he couldn't find his key, he loses it. He pounds the door until she opens, eyes bright and lips tights. Ready for a fight.

And they begin a shouting match. Him saying that they could tweak the enchantments so he can Apparate inside. Her telling him it would make the protection less effective and reminding him that he could have flooed in. He replying, almost growling, that the Floo wasn't working today and making it seem like it was her fault.

It goes on for a while. And then, he sees it. The spark of understanding flooding her. And she stops yelling. But he doesn't, because he's too riled up and seeks the release the fight is giving him. Maybe if he shouts his frustration out, maybe everything else he feels - and that confuses him,- maybe it'll all go away.

He's still shouting when she grabs his wrists, her chest rising up and down heavily, calmly. It takes him by such surprise that he falls silent. And when he looks at her, eyes full of love, apologetic and patient, it finally clicks.

It's water under the bridge. You're here now. It's all that matters. That's what she tells him, he thinks, as she clings to him and her voice is muffled against his chest. Tears fall on his cheeks stoically. He doesn't understand how he didn't realised before. His head is spinning, thoughts spiralling down.

She's holding back tears, hands now cupping his cheeks as she brings him out of his dark state, back to the present. We're here. Hermione reminds him that these thoughts aren't who he is anymore. He knows that, but the rain confuses him and it took him some time to be reminded.

But now he's aware of it. Now that he knows that the pouring rain takes him back to the day he left them in the forest, a day he wishes to forget, yet never will, it'll be easier to deal.

And eventually, one day, he'll stand under the rain as she announces him that she's pregnant, and no thoughts of the forest or the locket will cross his mind.