Chapter Two: Hermione's Departure
Harry awoke to a curious sensation spreading up and down his right arm. As he raised his head, blood flooded into his arm, and it was completely numb. Shaking his arm and trying to get the blood flowing, Harry glanced up at the bed and Ron was not in it, and nor was Hermione in the cot at the floor.
Harry got dressed quickly, shoved on his glasses, and walked downstairs. Hermione and Ron were sitting beside each other, talking with smiles on their faces, Mr. Weasley was looking somber and was eating his breakfast quietly, and Ginny was stirring her cornflakes slowly, looking troubled. Harry was about to sit next to Ginny, when he remembered the argument of the previous night, and instead sat beside Ron. Mrs. Weasley was preparing some bacon and had her face hidden.
'Hermione dear,' she said with a sniffle, 'when are you leaving?
'In an hour or so, and I'll just have some eggs and toast, Mrs. Weasley, thank you,' she added as Mrs. Weasley came over with a plate of bacon, offering her some. Mrs. Weasley nodded and divided the entire plate between Harry and Ron. She flopped down three eggs into Harry's plate and gave him seven sausages. Harry was very hungry, as he hadn't eaten much at dinner yesterday.
When breakfast was done, Ron went up the stairs to fetch Hermione's trunk. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley said their goodbyes from the kitchen table and put their heads together as Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny walked out into the front yard. Hermione stood at the gate, smiling at them all as Harry, Ron and Ginny lined up in front of her.
Hermione and Ginny hugged.
'See you soon,' Ginny whispered.
'Sooner then you'll expect,' Hermione replied.
Harry was next. Hermione hugged him too.
'Bye Harry, see you soon. Don't get yourself killed by some Dark Wizard.'
'See you, Hermione.'
And then it was Ron's turn. Ron and Hermione sort of looked at each other oddly and then Ron mumbled; 'Well…er-bye, Hermione.' He was looking at the ground, and tenderness flowed into Hermione's face. Ron looked into her face, and they stared at each other for a few seconds. And then, as if by some undetectable mental consent, both ran up to each other, and began kissing fiercely. Harry looked awkwardly at Ginny, who was trying not to laugh. Ron still hadn't gotten much better at kissing then he had been with Lavender, and Ginny was hiding her grin behind her hand.
They broke apart awkwardly.
'Well…bye, Ron. I'll write. To all of you,' she added as she stepped out of the gate and turned on the spot, disappearing with a crack. Ron was trying not to smile as they turned around and walked back towards the Burrow.
'Hey, Ron, were you trying to eat her face?'
'Shut up,' Ron said, punching Ginny in the arm.
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley met them half way across the yard.
'We're going out,' she said shortly. 'We'll see you lot at dinner. Ron,' she added to her son, 'George could probably use your help at the shop, he's dealing with-with…well he could use your help.'
'Yeah, alright, I'm coming.' Ron followed his parents out the gate and they all disapparated, leaving Ginny and Harry alone in the house. Percy had left early in the morning for his house in London with his soon-to-be-fiancé, so Harry and Ginny were left alone. Which would have been great, a perfect time for them to talk, about the future, about the past, about Ron, about Hermione, but it wasn't anymore. Ginny was still mad and she stalked off into the house and Harry couldn't find her for a good ten minutes. She wasn't in the living room, kitchen, or even her own bedroom.
'Ginny?' Harry called from the second floor.
No answer.
'Ginny?'
'I'm here.'
The voice came from the first floor, and Harry bolted down the stairs. She was sitting at the kitchen table, looking at a stain on the surface.
'Look, Ginny-'
'I know,' she said.
He sat down beside her and she leaned her head on his shoulder and Harry put his arm around her.
'I know I shouldn't have yelled…but you just don't know what it was like seeing you there,' she said.
Harry didn't answer, he just held her closer. Ginny was listening to his heartbeat. A heartbeat she had thought had stopped beating only two days ago. A heartbeat she'd thought had abandoned her forever. For how long they sat there, Harry didn't know. He didn't care. Holding Ginny felt so right to him, and nothing, nothing, could beat this feeling. Not winning at Quidditch, not eating chocolate after a Dementor attack, nothing.
Harry heard the front door opened and Mrs. Weasley walked in, looking flustered.
'Ginny, Harry? Arthur had to go into work, I mean you'd think with You-Know-Who dead there'd be not very much but-' She'd entered the kitchen and found them clutching each other.
For a split second she stood there, her mouth open slightly, and then she dropped the groceries she was carrying, threw her hands over her head, and screamed in delight, rushing forwards and hugging them both while jumping up and down. The result was that Harry and Ginny nearly fell of the chair and Mrs. Weasley continued her joyful rampage.
'I knew it! I knew it!' she screamed in delight. 'Oh this is wonderful!'' She seemed unable to speak anymore and seemed to realize how ridiculous she had been and picked up the groceries, red faced.
'Mum, we were dating in my Fifth year-'
'Well no-one bothered to tell me! Oh you two, this is wonderful. You wait 'til your father here's Ginny-'
'Ten to one says he already knows,' Ginny muttered to Harry.
Ron and George came back for dinner about twenty minutes before it started. George was still looking terrible, and even Ron looked bad. Mr. Weasley came in a few minutes later, looking stony faced and yet easily susceptible to harm. Like an injured puppy.
The table ate in silence, and half way through dinner they were interrupted by a barn owl swooping in through the open window and setting itself in the only open space on the table between the beets and mashed potatoes.
Ron eagerly untied the letter and announced; 'It's from Hermione!'
'You don't say,' Ginny said, rolling her eyes.
Ron threw her a scathing look and opened the letter and read to the entire room.
Dear Harry and Ron,
Right now I'm on a train headed to India, where I can easily Apparate to Australia and fetch my parents. I'll grab them, reverse the charm, and bring them back to London. I should be back in a few days.
Ron paused here, as though he wasn't sure what to say or couldn't say what was on the paper and continued;
With love, Hermione.
'Well that'll be nice, write her back, Ron, and tell her that Hermione and her parents can stay here,' Mrs. Weasley said. 'After dinner, though,' she shot at him as he made to get up.
'Oh the Muggles?' Mr. Weasley said. He seemed to be pleased enough to come out of his mood. 'Coming to stay? I wonder if-'
'Arthur,' Mrs. Weasley said in her most dangerous tone, 'you will not pester those poor Muggles about spark plugs and all that other nonsense.'
The rest of dinner went fairly slowly, and afterwards Harry, Ron and Ginny went up to Ron's room and Ron wrote Hermione saying that she and her parents could come and stay for a while until they got settled again.
'Ginny, d'you think you could leave for a moment?' Ron said unexpectedly.
Ginny gave him an odd look, but left kissing Harry on the cheek and shutting the door.
'You guys are all better now, eh?' Ron said. 'I heard you two last night…'
'We worked it out in our time alone today,' Harry said.
'Look what Hermione wrote,' Ron said, thrusting the letter he had in his hands into Harry's chest.
Dear Harry and Ron,
Right now I'm on a train headed to India, where I can easily Apparate to Australia and fetch my parents. I'll grab them, reverse the charm, and bring them back to London. I should be back in a few days.
Ron, I have to talk to you when I get back. It's important. I'll see you soon.
With love, Hermione.
'So this is what you paused on, I wondered,' Harry said.
'Well?'
'Well what?'
'She wants to "talk". What does that mean?'
'Why would I know?' Harry said, confused.
Ron jumped on his bed and lay on his side, facing Harry.
'I dunno…you have more experience then me with this stuff.'
'Well in Muggle movies it meant they wanted to break up, but I dunno…'
Ron seemed slightly downcast as he turned off the lights.
'G'night, Harry.'
Harry was not really too surprised, but he was slightly taken-aback. Deciding, once again, not to comment, Harry lay down in his cot and let unconsciousness claim him.
Harry awoke next morning to Ron getting dressed hastily.
'What's your hurry?' Harry asked sleepily, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
'George wants me in the shop early, says there's a bunch of people today, and I gotta be in. See you.'
And he left.
Harry watched him Apparate from Ron's window.
Ron was checking out items. A particular boy was trying to buy something not sold to his age and Ron was trying to explain to him. Unfortunately, he seemed to be the equivalent of Draco Malfoy.
'Look, you can't have that, it's for sixteens and up,' Ron said.
'But my father said I could get whatever I wanted!' the boy whined.
'Well you can have anything else you see,' Ron said, walking back to the counter. 'Verity,' Ron said to a young, pretty looking woman with a young girl showing her the wonder witch products, 'could you handle these?' he said, pointing to the line at the check out, 'I'm going to go find George.'
'Of course Mr. Weasley,' she said, walking towards the register.
Ron walked into the back room to find George sorting some Peruvian Darkness Powder into the many shelves.
'George, me and Verity could use your help. George?'
'George seemed to come out of some sort of coma and started.
'Yeah?'
'Verity and I could use your help, mate.'
'Yeah…I'll just finish up this stuff…'
Ron walked closer to his brother and put a hand on his shoulder.
'George-'
'I should go help Verity,' he said abruptly, getting up and heading out the door. Ron sighed, and followed his older brother out the door.
Nine hours and twenty seven minutes later, Harry watched Ron appear outside the gate and walk towards the house. Harry and Ginny, who had been enjoying a walk around the house, walked towards him.
'Any word from Hermione?' he asked.
'She says she'll be here in a week,' Ginny said. 'Where's George?'
'Shop,' Ron replied quietly.
Harry and Ginny exchanged sad looks behind Ron's back, but followed him into the house for dinner.
'Ron,' Harry said as they ascended the stairs for bed, 'I'm sure Hermione didn't mean, you know, what I said-'
'Yeah. I'm sure she didn't too,' Ron said, though Harry was sure he didn't really mean it. 'Night.' He ascended the stairs, leaving Harry and Ginny outside her bedroom.
'G'night,' Harry said, pecking her on the cheek and following Ron up the stairs.
Ron was already asleep, or pretending, when Harry got in. He plunked himself down and fell asleep.
