This chapter will have dialogue from Harry Potter and the Other Side. Also, I didn't put Ron's actual apparition in. I want to get to the good stuff, plus, I will have him reflect on it instead.

Oh, and Ginny's insult is from a British show called Skins. Shoutout to LastBornSlytherin for putting me on that lol. If you're looking for a nice Pots N Pans story to read, she has one in the works!

Chapter 180: The Break Up

Patches of bright blue sky were beginning to appear over the castle turrets, but these signs of approaching summer did not lift Harry's mood. He wasn't making any efforts with knowing what Malfoy was doing, nor starting a conversation with Slughorn that might lead, somehow, to Slughorn handing over the memory he had apparently suppressed for decades.

"For the last time, just forget about Malfoy," Hermione told Harry firmly.

We were sitting in a sunny corner of the courtyard after lunch. Hermione and I were both clutching a Ministry of Magic leaflet: Common Apparition Mistakes and How to Avoid Them, for we were taking our tests that very afternoon, but by and large the leaflets had not proved soothing to the nerves. I gave a start and tried to hide behind Hermione as a girl came around the corner.

"It isn't Lavender," said Hermione wearily.

"Oh, good," I said, relaxing.

"Harry Potter?" said the girl. "I was asked to give you this."

"Thanks..."

Harry waited for the girl to leave before speaking. "Dumbledore said we wouldn't be having any more lessons until I got the memory!"

"Maybe he wants to check on how you're doing?" suggested Hermione, as Harry unrolled the parchment and read the words to himself with a confused expression on his face.

"Look at this," said Harry, handing the note to Hermione.

"Oh, for heaven's sake," she said, scanning it quickly and passing it to me. The writing was very difficult to read due to the presence of large blotches on the parchment where the ink had run.

Dear Harry, Ron and Hermione,

Aragog died last night. Harry and Ron, you met him and you know how special he was. Hermione, I know you'd have liked him.

It would mean a lot to me if you'd nip down for the burial later this evening. I'm planning on doing it round dusk, that was his favorite time of day.

I know you're not supposed to be out that late, but you can use the cloak. Wouldn't ask, but I can't face it alone.

Hagrid

Hell no. Hagrid had officially gone round the bend for even thinking I would wanna go near that big bitch. Dead or not!

"He's fucking mental!" I said furiously. "That fucker told its mates to eat Harry and me! Told them to help themselves! And now Hagrid expects us to go down there and fucking cry over its horrible hairy body!"

"It's not just that," said Hermione. "He's asking us to leave the castle at night and he knows security's a million times tighter and how much trouble we'd be in if we were caught."

"We've been down to see him by night before," said Harry.

"Yes, but for something like this?" said Hermione. "We've risked a lot to help Hagrid out, but after all, Aragog's dead. If it were a question of saving him -"

"- I'd want to go even less," I said firmly. "You didn't meet him, Hermione. Believe me, being dead will have improved him a lot."

Harry took the note back and stared down at it. He was looking as if he was starting to feel guilty.

"Harry, you can't be thinking of going," said Hermione. "It's such a pointless thing to get detention for."

Harry sighed. "Yeah, I know," he said. "I s'pose Hagrid'll have to bury Aragog without us."

"Yes, he will," said Hermione, looking relieved. "Look, Potions will be almost empty this afternoon, with us all off doing our tests... try and soften Slughorn up a bit then!"

"Fifty-seventh time lucky, you think?" said Harry bitterly.

"Lucky...SHIT! Harry, that's it! get lucky!" I said, the thought popping into my head.

"What d'you mean?"

"Use your lucky potion!"

"Ron, that's-that's it!" said Hermione, sounding stunned. "Of course! Why didn't I think of it?"

Harry stared at us both. "Felix Felicis?" he said. "I dunno... I was sort of saving it..."

"What for?" I demanded.

"What on earth is more important than this memory, Harry?" asked Hermione.

Harry did not answer. In fact, he seemed to had zoned out and was in another world. He looked spacey.

"Harry? Are you still with us?" asked Hermione.

"Wha-?... Yeah, of course," he said, snapping out of it. "Well... okay. If I can't get Slughorn to talk this afternoon, I'll take some Felix and have another go this evening."

"That's decided, then," said Hermione, getting to her feet and performing a graceful pirouette. "Destination... determination... deliberation..." she murmured.

"Oh, stop that," I begged her, "I feel sick enough as it-"

I thought I saw blonde hair out the corner of my eye.

"Shit, hide me!" I said, diving behind Hermione.

"It isn't Lavender!" said Hermione impatiently.

"Cool," I said, peering over Hermione's shoulder to check. Instead of a blonde, there were two gloomy brunettes.

"Blimey, they don't look happy, do they?"

"They're the Montgomery sisters and of course they don't look happy, didn't you hear what happened to their little brother?" said Hermione.

"I'm losing track of what's happening to everyone's relatives, to be honest."

"Well, their brother was attacked by a werewolf. The rumor is that their mother refused to help the Death Eaters. Anyway, the boy was only five and he died in St. Mungo's, they couldn't save him."

"He died?" repeated Harry, shocked. "But surely werewolves don't kill, they just turn you into one of them?"

"They sometimes kill," I said, feeling horrible for the kid. "I've heard of it happening when the werewolf gets carried away."

"What was the werewolf's name?" said Harry quickly.

"Well, the rumor is that it was that Fenrir Greyback," said Hermione.

"I knew it-the maniac who likes attacking kids, the one Lupin told me about!" said Harry angrily.

Hermione looked at him bleakly.

"Harry, you've got to get that memory," she said. "It's all about stopping Voldemort, isn't it? These dreadful things that are happening are all down to him..."

The bell rang overhead in the castle and both Hermione and I jumped to our feet. I suddenly felt terrified.

"You'll do fine," Harry told us both, as we headed toward the entrance hall to meet the rest of the people taking their Apparition Test. "Good luck."

"And you too!" said Hermione with a significant look, as Harry headed off to the dungeons.

"Oh Ron aren't you excited?" said Hermione as she looped her arm through mine. "I can't wait to be able to apparate everywhere. Much quicker than walking"

"Yeah. I just hope I don't fuck around and splinch myself" I said discouragingly.

She nudged him a bit. "Oh stop it Ron, that's how it happens. Don't doubt yourself. Just remember the 3 D's and you'll be brilliant"

"No Mione, you'll be brilliant. I'll lose a finger or something"

Hermione scowled at me. "Ron, you're not allowed to say anything bad about yourself for the rest of the day."

"And who are you to control my mouth?" I said jokingly.

"Hermione Jean Granger that's who. Your best friend and favorite person in the world. And you shall listen to me and do as I tell you"

"Ooh assertive. I like that. Major turn on" I said, grinning at her.

"I turn you on Ronald Weasley?"she said in a surprised voice.

I hadn't realized I had said that outloud. I started coughing, trying to play it off. "Ahem...that is to say...well..."

"It's okay. I understand that I'm just too irresistible"

I felt myself blush as we reached our destination. We each looked at the door, and then back at each other.

"Ready?"

"Ready. You're going to nail this, Hermione."

"And so are you.

I had failed. And over some major bullshit.

"A fucking eyebrow! I failed because of my fucking eyebrow! Of all the mundane things!" I yelled as Hermione and I made our way back to the school.

"I know Ron it's ridiculous." agreed Hermione. "Seamus passed and he left behind a few fingernails"

"I would fail the test due to splitting hairs. Literally."

"You'll do better next time." said Hermione encouragingly.

"I don't think I want a next time." I sighed.

"Well look on the bright side. You got to get away from the castle, you got a butter beer,-"

"And I got to spend the day with my best friend" I said, putting my arm over her shoulders.

Hermione blushed and lifted her hand to hold mine that was dangling. "You always spend the day with me"

"Yeah, but still, I like doing it." I said with a shrug.

We walked in silence for a few minutes.

"Ron?" said Hermione after a while.

"Yes, Mione?"

"When are you going to break up with Lavender?"

That had caught me off guard, but I tried to keep her from seeing it.

"Well, I was hoping that she would have gotten the message and just broke it off with me herself" I said finally.

"Coward" scoffed Hermione.

"I am not! I've tried but every time she starts to cry, I told you. I don't like it when you females cry."

"Its got to happen sooner or later. And if she cries, oh well"

"Oh well? I don't like hurting people. You of all people should know that" I said.

Hermione stopped walking at that.

"Well what about yourself? You're hurting yourself by being with someone that you don't want to be with. You're also hurting her for the same reason and you..."

She broke off what she was going to say. I had a feeling I knew what was going to be said, but I needed to hear it from her.

"And I what?" I asked.

Hermione sighed. "You're hurting me still too."

That hit me right in the chest. I had promised myself I wouldn't hurt her anymore and me prolonging this 'relationship' really was affecting her too. I knew I wanted to be with her. And I hoped she realized it too. But as long as Lavender was still in the picture that couldn't happen.

"Tonight" I said truthfully.

"Tonight what"

"I'll do it. Tonight." I said firmly.

"Really?" questioned Hermione. "Are you sure that's what you want?"

"Will doing that stop me from hurting you?"

Hermione looked at me and gave me a small smile.

"Come on heartbreaker let's go. Harry will be waiting." she said, pulling me up the road

Hermione ran through the portrait hole before me. By the time I got in, she had already told Harry she had passed.

"Bad luck, mate," said Harry, giving me a pat on the back, "but you'll pass next time-we can take it together."

"Yeah, I s'pose," I grumbled. "But half an eyebrow! Like that matters!"

"I know," said Hermione soothingly, "it does seem really harsh..."

We spent most of our dinner roundly abusing the Apparition examiner, my mood much better by the time we set off back to the common room, now discussing the continuing problem of Slughorn and the memory.

"So, Harry-you going to use the Felix Felicis or what?" I demanded.

"Yeah, I s'pose I'd better," said Harry. "I don't reckon I'll need all of it, not twenty-four hours' worth, it can't take all night... I'll just take a mouthful. Two or three hours should do it."

"It's a great feeling when you take it," I said reminiscently. "Like you can't do anything wrong."

"What are you talking about?" said Hermione, laughing. "You've never taken any!"

"Yeah, but I thought I had, didn't I? Same difference really."

As we had only just seen Slughorn enter the Great Hall and knew that he liked to take time over meals, we lingered for a while in the common room, the plan being that Harry should go to Slughorn's office once the teacher had had time to get back there. When the sun had sunk to the level of the treetops in the Forbidden Forest, we decided the moment had come, and after checking carefully that Neville, Dean, and Seamus were all in the common room, we snuck up to the boys' dormitory.

Harry took out some rolled-up socks at the bottom of his trunk and extracted the tiny, gleaming bottle.

"Well, here goes," said Harry, and he raised the little bottle and look a carefully measured gulp.

"What does it feel like?" whispered Hermione.

Harry did not answer for a moment. Then, he looked like he didn't he first time he caught the snitch in first year. He got to his feet, smiling, brimming with confidence.

"Excellent," he said. "Really excellent. Right... I'm going down to Hagrid's."

"What?" said Hermione and I at the same time.

"No, Harry-you've got to go and see Slughorn, remember?" said Hermione.

"No," said Harry confidently. "I'm going to Hagrid's, I've got a good feeling about going to Hagrid's."

"You've got a good feeling about burying a giant spider?" I asked, stunned.

"Yeah," said Harry, pulling his Invisibility Cloak out of his bag. "I feel like it's the place to be tonight, you know what I mean?"

"No," we said.

"This is Felix Felicis, I suppose?" said Hermione anxiously, holding up the bottle to the light. "You haven't got another little bottle full of- I don't know -"

"Essence of Insanity?" I suggested, as Harry swung his cloak over his shoulders.

Harry laughed, and Hermione and I looked at each other, both of us probably thinking the same thing. Harry had went mental.

"Trust me," he said. "I know what I'm doing ... or at least..." he strolled confidently to the door, "Felix does."

He pulled the Invisibility Cloak over his head and set off down the stairs, Hermione and I hurrying along behind him. At the foot of the stairs, Harry slid through the open door.

"What were you doing up there with her!" shrieked Lavender, staring at Hermione and I emerging together from the boys' dorm.

The whole room went quiet, except for my sister coming through the portrait hole, yelling at Dean.

"Don't push me, please, Dean," she said, sounding annoyed. "You're always doing that, I can get through perfectly well on my own!"

"The hell you going on about?! I didn't push you!" Dean yelled back.

"Don't talk to me like that, you-"

She stopped mid sentence as she looked at Lavender giving Hermione and I the deadliest stare I had ever seen.

"What's this here?" she asked.

"I was just catching your brother being a dirty cheat!" said Lavender, pointing her finger at my face.

"Uhhhhh..." was all I could get out.

"Lavender," said Hermione in a cautious voice. "I can assure you, Ron and I didn't-"

"You keep your filthy mouth shut, you man stealing scarlet woman!" shrieked Lavender, stomping her foot.

"Now see here, Lavender!" I said, shocked that she would insult her like that. At the same time, Ginny had pulled out her wand and aimed it right at Lavender's head. Seamus grabbed her and pulled her away.

Hermione looked as if she was ready to kill her. "Scarlet woman?!" she shouted. "I would never-"

"Tell me what happened, Won-Won! Tell me the truth!" screamed Lavender, out of control. "Is she the reason why you won't fuck me? Because you're already fucking that boring, possibly frigid, bookworm bitch?!"

"I'll kill you if you ever insult her like that again, you fucking cock sucking spastic horse fucker!" said Ginny, who had thrown her wand down and was now trying to get to Lavender and literally fight her. Seamus has to physically pick Ginny up and hold her.

"Stop insulting Hermione like that, she's not like that at all! This whole thing is a big misunderstanding! Hermione and I were up there helping Harry with something, that's it!" I shouted.

"Really? Then where is Harry? I didn't see him come down with the pair of you!"

My mind drew a blank. Of course she didn't see him, he was under the invisibility cloak!

"He had come down ahead of us, you must have missed him." said Hermione quickly.

"Stop lying, Granger! I've seen you flirting with him, you're always together. You're a filthy little tart!"

"Oi! Don't talk to her like that Lav!" I said to her, all emotions of feeling bad for her gone or the window. "She hasn't done anything!"

"And you! You don't talk to me, you barely are around me, you don't kiss me anymore, and you're always with her!"

Seamus put Ginny down once he felt that she wasn't going to go mental on Lavender. Ginny went and picked up her wand, twirling it as menacingly as she could while staring at Lavender.

"Of course I'm always with her, she's my best mate." I exclaimed. "I'm around Harry as well, so I guess I'm having an affair with him too aren't I?!"

"To hell with you, Ron!" said Lavender, sounding like something straight out of a dramatic read. "I was going to call it off anyways. You're the worst boyfriend in the history of boyfriends. And to think I was going to let you be my first!"

At that, Seamus gave out a huge "HA!" before slapping his hands over his lips. Hermione took a step behind me, and I could hear her giggling softly. Colin had to walk out of the common room entirely.

"Bullshit!" yelled Ginny. "You and Terry Boot's older brother have been fucking since your fourth year! And I know that you and Theo Nott have had a go a time or two. Not to mention-"

"Enough!" harped Lavender, cheeks reddening from embarrassment. "Ron Weasley, you have ruined my fucking life! I hate you!"

And with that, Lavender marched up the stairs to the girls dorm. Everyone watched as she made her march as dramatic as she could. When she finally slammed the door, all eyes were on Hermione and I.

"That was low, Ron." said Parvati, standing up and crossing her arms.

"What was low? I was telling the truth! If she doesn't want to believe it, that's on fucking her!"

Parvati turned her head, her long braid swung and hit me on the arm.

"And you," she said, pointing to my sister. "Must you be so vulgar?"

Ginny laughed. "After what that cunt called my friend and my brother for no reason whatsoever? She's lucky I didn't Bat Bogey her ass, and I might still do it! Don't test me."

Parvati sneered at my sister, then faced Hermione, who had stepped out from behind me. "Could you stay down here for a while until I get her calmed down?" she asked her in a fake kind voice.

"Are you mental?! That's her room too!" yelled Ginny.

"And I don't want them fighting, that's all!"

"It's fine, Gin." said Hermione, in a calm voice. "I'd rather not be up there right now anyways and be accused of being a scarlet woman."

"You're not a scarlet woman, Hermione, don't listen to her." said Parvati sincerely. "Lavender is just angry and broken hearted. She'# my best friend, but to be honest, I wish she would have let this end a long time ago."

Hermione nodded and Parvati went upstairs to their dorm to console her friend.

I slumped down in the nearest chair as everyone started going back to what they were doing.

"Glad that's over and done with." I said.

Ginny rounded on me. "And you! You should be ashamed of yourself for letting things get like this! None of this would have happened if you would have just been a man and broken up with that bitch yourself!"

"I told you, I-"

"Oh, save it." said Ginny, rolling her eyes and walking over to Dean.

Hermione looked over at me and shook my head. She then sat down, pulled a book from her bag, and began to read like nothing had happened.