Chapter 8
AN: I think it's an important chapter in general…lots of discussion happening around! Thanks a lot for the reviews…Would like to have some more. Enjoy!
Ron had such a hard face it almost made him look like a stone, he folded his arms looking at Hermione he said, "Is there something we should know?" Hermione sighed and said, "Ron…Ginny you need to understand…it just happened for me and Harry…we didn't mean to cheat on you…things were not working among us. And that was a difficult time for me, Harry was understanding about everything you weren't….and…" When she could not say anything else Ron stood up and started pacing, all the anger resurfacing once more. "You can't blame me Hermione…accept the fact that you have always wanted to be with Harry I was just a convenient option when he was mingling with my sister." This ticked Hermione off and she said in a pissed voice, "Ronnn….Please…just stop with such offensive comments. Don't you dare talk about blames because if I take it on me to put blames, you would become rich with the amount of them."
Harry was trying not to interrupt and was glancing at Ginny once in a while who had a distant look on her face. For once he felt like he was sad about the way things turned out for them…but he knew if it had continued he would have been living a fake life. Hermione huffed and got up walked away from the others and back again. "Tell me Ron, what have you done for me? When you say you love me, when were you able to put up with my bossiness? Unless in times of need that is! When did you like me being studious? When did you like what I did more than what your mother has done? When have you trusted me blindly, when it came to other boys, especially Harry! And what have you done for me to trust you with my life?!" Hermione went and stood right in front of him, poked his chest twice with her index finger saying, "And you know what Ron I trusted you with my life but you were a coward and went off running from what HAD to be done FOR ALL OF US! It was not Harry for whom we were risking our lives it was for our own sake!" she sat back down besides Harry who now had a sleeping Teddy resting his head on Harry's shoulder, drooling. "I'll give him to mum" Hermione said softly and Harry placed him in her arms. Hermione stood up and before leaving cleared the small stain of Teddy's drool off Harry's shoulder without taking out her wand.
Once Hermione came back, everyone sat around the table like adults wanting to make discussion. Still distant, Ginny asked, "Why is that Hermione gets to do everything for you and about you all the time Harry?" Harry took a deep breath and answered, "Because I never have to tell her what I need or what I might need, she knows it all…all the time!" Ginny rolled her eyes at Harry's statement and said, "And why is that she knows everything Harry…because you tell her everything…and I don't know why you can't do the same thing with me! Why is that you always feel uncomfortable to share your feelings with me...not just me Harry even Cho use to feel the same thing you know?"Harry chuckled without humor and said, "Yeah that's because Hermione has been loving and caring for ME from the very beginning like a friend and never realized when it got more than that." He said looking at Ron in the end. "Unlike you or Cho…maybe the love and care which you guys had was limited just for my name?! And never for the person who lived beyond the name, you still see me as The Harry Potter from the time when, even I didn't know myself…and now even after I defeated 'The Voldemort' Hermione sees me like I am just Harry, which I am just so you know" Now Harry rolled his eyes, and got a kick from under the table from Hermione which everyone noticed and turned to look at her. Harry straightened himself and realized for what he had been kicked.
A bit more softly Harry started, "Ginny I have always appreciated the love which you had for me but it would be lying if I said that we could have made it, after the war you wanted me to come in front of the media and show the world that I saved them from Voldemort even when they didn't trust me completely. You were right, absolutely people needed to know that at some point they were wrong to call me a liar and stuff…but that was not what I wanted, I needed to be with the one who needs me the most, do you realize that Teddy is now an orphan and I don't want him to go by with even one day without me…the way I did without Sirius. And thanks to Hermione he got someone to play a mother's role in his life. Something which I can never be. I was expecting you to understand this and support me…but…" Harry trailed off. Hanging her head low Ginny replied, "I am sorry...I…" Harry didn't let her finish what she was saying, "You don't need to apologies…am telling you why we couldn't make it…you know what I consider love as! It's something which lets you accept the other the way they are, the fact that none of us can do this with the other is something we need to accept and continue with our friendship. Because none of us wishes to be without the other. I know, I and Hermione failed to make it a 'one big happy Weasley Family' but really in the end it would have not stayed happy."
Harry stood abruptly and said with finality in his voice "We should get inside now…join the others." And he walked away. Something Hermione didn't expect him to do…even if she knew that Harry always walked away when he was done telling the others what he wanted. "Stubborn!" she muttered shaking her head.
After a few minutes of silence among the three, "Ron…" Hermione began to say in an unsure voice. "I never considered you less than Harry in any way…money, fame, intelligence…anything…we three have started with friendship and we stand equal in all ways…and you are still the one among us that could make a conversation about life and death easier to discuss…something which I and Harry could never do…I loved you for that, I still do, for the light hearted and jolly and carefree person that you are…which I am not!…but some where I accept that when I look at my future companion someone like Harry stands in front of my eyes…I miscalculated our relationship I thought you could become like Harry but I was wrong, I am very sorry for that, I really am!…and even you can't put up with me telling you what to do and what not to do all the time…that's probably the only thing which I did like your mother…again something that you didn't like. I can't change that…that's the way I am 'Bossy'. Something that Harry needs in his life something that he never had…a person to order him around, and tell him what to do and what not. Someone to lecture him…you need love like a normal person does and I am not capable of giving it to you the way you want it…Are you getting what I am trying to say?" Hermione asked with desperation pouring out of her voice for her friend to understand. Ron looked at Hermione and smiled…really smiled wholeheartedly!
In a very soft voice he said, "I know…you and Harry did make me realize where we stand for the other, where we use to and where we should…and yes I agree with all that you said Hermione. Probably it was the devil in me showing me how useless I am you know, the self-destruction that I was doing to myself through the years…but I really want you to try and trust me again…understand what it made me feel to have my whole family be at risk right under the nose of the death eaters. We should be friends like the way we were…" Hermione did something the other two didn't expect her to do…she got up hastily and hugged Ron with everything she had. When she sat back down she smiled and said, "Just so you know why Harry has me as his priority is that…even I had left my parents behind…defenseless and clueless in the hands of death eaters wanting to hunt down every Muggle-born and Harry appreciates that because even when I had a choice to not go along with him to stay with my parents and protect them I didn't… he has always been my priority, something that I convinced my parents about so that they allowed me to make my own choices. Something which you didn't do Ginny….I was expecting you to fight with everyone so that you could join him. I still don't understand how you could let him go. Harry even told us..me and Ron that he didn't wish for us to risk our lives but we convinced him otherwise…the love and care which you showed or you had was really not enough to understand him Ginny!" At this Ginny only nodded and got up saying "We should go now."
Ron and Hermione exchanged a questioning glance at Ginny's retreating figure and then at each other, Ron only shrugged shaking his head, not knowing what his little sister might be going through thus unsure of anything the pair followed her inside with no further discussion.
AN: Longer than the chapters before?! Let me know what y'all think!
