They were in the Leaky Cauldron again. It was useful neutral ground but Ron was tired of the smell. The ground-in old beer stink was particularly irritating today because he was drinking butterbeer. He was so tired any alcohol would have him on the floor. But he was there because Harry and Ginny were there, finally talking, in one of the booths.

"How are they doing?" Hannah asked, bringing him a bowl of crunchy nibbles. They seemed in much demand as the bowls near the bar were empty of all but crumbs. Ron had spent his lunch hour lying in the infirmary convinced he was a spaniel. Sleep deprivation and Imperius curse resistance training did not mix well. As Auror Proudfoot had sternly informed him.

"No shouting thus far." Ron turned to look at the couple, silently imploring Merlin that whatever Harry had been thinking about all day was good. His best friend has been brooding since Hannah had relayed the request from Hermione for a phone call. Harry had consented but had not spoken of the conversation since.

"That's a good sign." The witch was trying not to spy but was having a hard time resisting the temptation. If she could have waved her wand to mend the pair's troubles, she would have. Instead, she refilled the snack bowls from a large plastic container. Ron, desperate for something to distract him, eyed it with interest.

"Where'd you buy these? They're great." He ate a few more. "Sort of cheesy."

"Oh, I made them." Hannah lowered her voice as though embarrassed or conspiratorial. "I'm trying a few recipes. The ones you're eating are cheddar and herbs. I have some bacon ones that are okay but the Parmesan sticks were a bit of a disaster. I owe my nan a new baking tray."

"Why are you making your own?" Ron sat up a little straighter. A nice girl who cooked. He smiled for the first time in a week then toned it down a little because Neville had flown halfway across the world to help Harry and Ginny.

"I want my own pub. A proper one with good drinks and food. Where people come to put their feet up with friends." She surveyed the surly lone drinkers and tight huddles of workmates. The ambiance was more chaff than affable. "Tom knows his beer but he's tired. Running the Leaky's getting a bit much for him."

"You want a pub? That's it?" He envied her being so certain. Ron had become an Auror because he thought it was the right thing to do. He would have married Hermione because he thought he loved her. He thought he was helping Harry doing what he thought was best for Ginny. Bloody hell, he thought a lot. No wonder he had a headache.

"Pretty much." Hannah answered airily. "I'm proud of what I did with Dumbledore's Army. I'm proud I stood up and didn't run or hide." But she hadn't gone back to Hogwarts. One day, she would. That was a promise. Just not now. Not until she stopped jumping in fright at loud noises. "But it's over now."

"You did well at the Prism. Your Shield Charm is one of the best I've seen." That probably wasn't what a girl wanted to hear from a bloke, Ron admitted. It was true, though. "You could be an Auror."

"I want to have babies, and you can't do that if you're being hit with curses all the time." The Carrows had thrown dark magic around like it was Samhain every day. After the Battle of Hogwarts, Hannah had seen a Healer just to make sure there was no lingering damage. She was mostly fine. "It adds up, you know."

"Yeah." Ron thought about Harry's scar and Hermione's scar. He had scars too, but from Splinching. He hardly noticed them except when they itched. "Would you marry an Auror? I mean, would that be a thing you'd avoid?"

"I don't know if I could spend nights worrying if my husband would come home." Hannah admitted candidly. "I've spent a lot of nights worrying already. About my family, about my friends, about everything. I couldn't turn it off. I call my dad every night just to check. It'd be like fighting the war all over again, really slowly without knowing who's the enemy."

"Do you think Hermione thinks that?" His words came out slowly, tentative. He wanted to sound casual, like they were still just chatting.

"I'm sure she does." The witch left to hurriedly answer a drinks order then returned, brushing her hair off her face. "Worse than most, I expect. You know what she was like in school. All those study plans." Hannah still had the one Hermione had made for her, carefully folded with her Hogwarts things. "Take it from the girl who needed Calming Draughts for her OWLs, Hermione worries."

"I know that. It drives me mental. She's always fussing about stuff being just so." Ron hadn't considered the reasons behind why Hermione harped on about his defensive spells or nagged him about practising. He'd put it down to her being a swot. He'd survived the war. That had to mean he was pretty good already. He hadn't realised she wasn't worried about him; she was worried for him.

"Because she loves you." Hannah said it like it was obvious.

"Doesn't show it much." He grumbled. "She married Flint."

"True." The Hufflepuff grimaced like a badger, all teeth and huff. "I guess she felt sorry for him. I mean, look at her cat. I like cats but that fluffy thing was a menace."

"You think Flint's her pet?" Ron chuckled, picturing the Slytherin with a collar and a bell. Hannah laughed too and he felt a pang. How long had it been since he had just talked with a girl? They weren't even flirting and he already felt better.

"Well, he isn't as ugly as Crookshanks but he sure plays it up on posters. Always scowling. And you know what they say about the Flints and their troll blood." There was no way she would bring Flint home to meet her grandparents, which was Hannah's litmus test for potential boyfriends. If her nan didn't like them then they were gone.

"I don't like thinking of them together." That was harder to say aloud than he thought it would be. Telling someone made it difficult. Of course it was obvious and his family could figure that out but saying it was something else.

"I don't blame you. It's a hard thing to forgive." Hannah helped herself to some of her own nibbles, which she tried not to do as they were moreish. She waited for Ron to ask her advice. He had that look on his face.

"Should I forgive her?"

"That's not easy for me to say. I don't think I'd know what to do if I were in your shoes." That was honest but not especially helpful. "Look at Ginny. She was mad for Harry since always. But she dated other people. Quite a few. And she got quite serious about it according to gossip, sorry Ron."

"I really don't want to think about that." He took a long swig of butterbeer to wash away the memory of walking in on Harry and Ginny snogging. As far as he was concerned, they held hands and that was all.

"You might have nieces and nephews one day." Hannah teased. "Ginny could take after your mum."

"Merlin, I hope not." Ron laughed into his drink. He reached across the bar to hold her hand. "Thanks, Hannah. For listening. And for not telling me what to do." He sighed. "Not sure what I will do. I'll figure it out, though."

"I'm sure you will, and it's no problem listening. I like helping." She smiled then moved Ron's hand from hers to the snack bowl. "Have you eaten a proper meal today?"

"Would you eat with me? As friends?" He added the last bit hastily. Until he knew what he should do, he didn't want to muck anything up. Looking to Harry and Ginny's booth, he groaned. "They look like they're going to be here forever. I'm starving."

And just then Harry slid out from the table, dropped to one knee and held out something to Ginny. She put it on her left ring finger then kissed Harry in a way that had Ron looking hastily back at the bowl of nibbles.