August 2001
For the third night in a row, Ron woke up in a bed that wasn't his. As he regained consciousness, he realized he wasn't in a bed, but on a couch. He turned his head to find Harry sleeping on the smaller sofa on the other side of the room. Ron smiled as he remembered their failed attempts to extend it the night before.
"You'd think our spells would get better when we're drunk," Harry had slurred, waving his wand around. "You know—without inhi—inhibit—inhibitch… Bugger. That's a hard word to say."
Ron had grabbed the middle of Harry's wand and pulled it out of his grasp. "Give me that before you accidentally blast a hole in the wall. Also, it makes perfect sense that we're bad at spells when pissed. What doesn't make sense is how you got so pissed after just three beers and a shot of Whiskey."
Harry's mouth had fallen open and he looked a bit like a troll trying to solve an Arithmancy problem. "Oh!" he said eventually, his eyes brightening. "I haven't eaten real food since Thursday."
"That'll do it," Ron replied. He pushed Harry out of the way and tried his hand at the sofa, but he was only slightly more successful than Harry had been, managing to get it to stretch a few inches on each side. He wasn't as far gone as Harry, but he was past the point of being able to do complicated spells.
"You could just sleep in your bed and I can take the spare room," Ron suggested.
Harry's face fell. "Oh, yeah. We could do that."
Ron knew he didn't want to sleep alone, but was too embarrassed to say so, even with his "inhibitches" gone. "You'll just need to pull your knees up," Ron said, clapping Harry on the back before returning to the much nicer blue couch Ginny had picked out a few months ago. "I'm taking the larger couch. I'm taller, and you stole my fiancée."
Harry snorted as he laid down and pulled the blanket over himself. "How long are you going to use that one?"
"Forever."
"Okay. Just checking." The next moment, Harry was asleep, snoring so loudly, Ron had needed to cast a Silencing Charm on him before he was able to fall asleep.
As the morning light filtered through the curtains, Ron sat up on the couch and stretched his arms over his head. The remnants from their activities the night before were scattered over the coffee table. Empty beer bottles, an expensive bottle of Whiskey Harry had insisted they open with several shots missing, a Wizarding Chess set— which Ron had suggested they play, claiming he could use the confidence boost—and several scraps of paper where Harry had drawn out little diagrams to explain the more complicated parts of his trip to the other world.
Ron had asked him to explain everything, except the parts where he'd backstabbed his best friend by falling in love with his fiancée.
Harry had winced, but still launched into a detailed account of his trip. He'd dutifully avoided all mention of Hermione, but Ron could still feel her in the background, a steady presence that had kept Harry sane and given him the strength to continue through what sounded like an incredibly draining two weeks.
Ron could not imagine what it would be like to live in a world where another version of him had received everything Ron had ever wanted, with none of the hardships. And what was worse, the other Harry had done nothing to deserve his idyllic life. He'd just been lucky enough to be born in that world, and not this one. No wonder Harry was such a mess.
"Hey," Harry croaked from the opposite side of the room, throwing his arm over his head to guard against the light.
"How shitty do you feel?" Ron asked, trying to suppress a grin.
Harry carefully moved his head side to side, keeping his arm over his eyes. "Very shitty," he said eventually.
"Good."
Harry smiled.
They pulled themselves to their feet and stumbled into the kitchen. Ron opened the fridge and scowled at the contents. "Why am I getting flashbacks to all that time we spent starving while on the run?"
"Not sure, since you spent three months of that time eating warm meals at Shell Cottage," Harry quipped. He ducked just in time to avoid the egg Ron had thrown at him. It splattered on the wall behind him.
"Oi! Do I need to remind you about the fiancée you stole from me?"
"Yeah, yeah," Harry grumbled, lowering himself into the chair slowly to avoid moving his head too much. He cleaned the mess from the cracked egg with a wave of his wand before turning back to Ron, who had closed the refrigerator door. "So, there's nothing in there?"
"No. I'll go and get something from that coffee shop up the road."
"You don't have to."
"I don't mind. It'll give you time to take a shower. You look like hell and smell like a dung heap."
Harry flipped him off, but knew he was probably telling the truth. As soon as his head stopped spinning, he'd go take a shower. It was a good idea.
Ron was leaning against the counter with his arms crossed over his chest, watching him. "Do you need a Hangover Potion?"
Harry nodded carefully. "I'm working up the energy to Summon one."
Ron rolled his eyes, then waved his wand. The vial of Hangover Potion appeared in the room and he caught it easily, then placed it in front of Harry. Next, he conjured a glass of water and set it next to the Hangover Potion.
"Drink those, then take a shower. I'll be back with food and copious amounts of coffee."
"Thanks."
Ron nodded and made his way to the hall.
"Hey, Ron?" Harry asked when he was in the doorway.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
"You just said that."
"Yeah—I meant—erm—for—" Tears welled in his eyes, which were back to looking green again.
"Yeah, I know." Ron gave Harry a quick nod before disappearing into the hall.
After breakfast with Harry, Ron took the boxes Harry had packed for Ginny back to his flat, planning to bring them to her when he went to the Burrow for dinner. Harry's face had fallen at the mention of the Burrow. He usually joined them for Sunday dinner but—well, he wouldn't be able to go for a while. Not until Ron's family came to terms with Harry and Ginny's breakup. And they didn't even know about Ron and Hermione. Fuck, Ron would have to tell everyone tonight.
If it were up to Ron, he wouldn't tell his parents about Harry's involvement in Hermione's decision to break up with him. But he was sure Ginny had already told them that Harry had ended things with her because he'd realized he loved Hermione. From there, it wouldn't be too hard to guess why Ron and Hermione had broken up. Fuck, this was going to suck.
He pushed the thought from his mind as he Disapparated to an alley a few blocks from Hermione's flat. Ron stopped by her favorite coffee shop on the way, picking up a large cup of tea and a muffin. When he reached the landing outside her flat, he hesitated. Maybe he should have called ahead. Or at least sent his Patronus, warning her he was coming. He nearly returned to his flat to do just that, but stopped himself. He was already here, holding a to-go cup of tea and a bag of food. Was he really going to go back home?
He took a deep breath and knocked on the door. It took her a long time to answer. So long, that Ron was starting to get worried. She must be here. Where else would she go? Her parents' house? No, she wasn't very close to them. The only place he could imagine her going was Harry's and she obviously wasn't there, since he'd just left there.
He was about to knock again when the door opened slowly. "Ron?"
"Uh, hi." He held up the paper bag and to-go cup like a peace offering. "I brought you breakfast."
"Why?" The door was opened all the way so he could finally see her. Hermione looked tired. She was wearing a pair of leggings with an over-large sweater—one of his, he noted. His heart swelled at the thought of her choosing something of his to wear. Her hair was pulled up into a messy bun, being held by a few pens, and there were dried tear tracks on her cheeks.
"I'm here to win you back," he said, giving her a small grin.
"Oh." She dropped her eyes and focused intently on the thick woolen socks she was wearing.
Ron reached out and patted her elbow. "I'm kidding. I just—uh—came to check on you."
She looked up at him through her lashes. Fuck, she looked sad. The thought comforted him. How bad of a person did that make him?
"You did?"
Ron nodded and held out his offerings. "Black tea, strong with a splash of milk, and a lemon poppyseed muffin. Both from The Coffee Garden."
She took the items slowly. Her eyes were regarding him warily, but she didn't seem to be able to help a smile from tugging at her lips. "I don't—I don't understand."
"Can I come in?"
Hermione nodded and stepped backward to make room for him to pass through the doorway. Once Ron was inside, he closed the door behind him. Hermione stood in the middle of the entryway, holding her to-go cup and bag as she stared at him.
"I'm still really sad," he began, nervously running his fingers through his hair. "I'm also angry and honestly, the fact that you're clearly hurting is something I'm glad about. That's—awful—I know but—um—" He paused to sigh. "I love you. That's not going to stop. You're one of the most important people in my life and I need to know that we can still be friends. I need you in my life—okay? And, I don't know…"
"Yes," she said immediately. She set the items on the side table and went to stand in front of him. "Yes, please. That's exactly what I want."
"Really?"
"Absolutely!" Tears started falling down her face. "I thought I was going to lose you. I was convinced we wouldn't be able to just—be friends after this but I—Ron, I'm sad too! I just broke up with someone I've loved for years. Someone I was ready to marry. That's—that's—" Her tears finally caught up with her words, then overtook them. She dropped her face in her hands.
Ron stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. She dropped her hands from her face and wrapped her arms around his middle, holding him with surprising strength, given how exhausted she looked. "I'm so sorry I hurt you," she wailed into his chest. "I never meant to."
Tears stung his eyes as he propped his chin on top of her head. "It's okay," he said comfortingly, rubbing her back. "You're okay, Hermione."
She just sobbed into his shirt. He could feel a wet spot growing where her tears fell but didn't care. He just pulled her closer.
It was pretty sad how Harry and Hermione had tried to deal with this alone. Ron had George and Ginny had their parents. Harry and Hermione didn't have a support system like that. They had each other, of course, but Ron suspected they'd stayed away from each other for his benefit. He tightened his grip on Hermione.
"You're okay," he repeated.
She leaned back and looked up at him. Tears were still pouring out of her eyes and her face was red and puffy from crying. "How are you so calm?"
He shook his head. "No idea. Don't get me wrong, I'm devastated and I've done my share of crying. I'm just in a lull, I guess. I'll be bawling again soon. Probably tonight, when I tell everyone."
"Oh, yeah." She stepped back, untangling herself from their embrace. "I'm sorry."
"Yeah."
"Thank you for coming." She picked up the to-go cup and took a drink. He was glad to see that the tears had mostly subsided.
Ron bit his lip, then forced out the words he didn't want to say but knew he should. "You don't have to do this alone, you know."
Hermione furrowed her brow in confusion. "Yes," she said softly, pausing to take another sip from the cup. "I know there's Luna and Neville. And my—uh—parents. But—I don't know. I'm fine. I have Crooks, too." She cocked her head toward the window sill, where Crookshanks was perched. He twitched an ear at the mention of his name, but kept his gaze focused outside, looking like he didn't want to be bothered by their antics.
"Yes," Ron said slowly, struggling to get the next words out. "Them. Or, your best friend, who's going through the same thing you are."
Hermione froze in the middle of drinking her tea, causing a bit of the hot liquid to spill down her neck. Ron had to resist the urge to laugh. She was eying him warily and he half-expected her to ask him a Polyjuice question. "I —what?"
"Harry broke up with Ginny the same night we did," he provided, studying her face. She looked genuinely shocked. Well, at least his fear that they had planned out their break-ups so they could fly off into the sunset together was proving to be unfounded.
Hermione's throat tightened at the thought of Harry. He'd done it. He'd kept his promise and broken up with Ginny. Now, more than ever, she wanted to see him. Yesterday, she'd been determined to forge this new path alone. She would meditate, find out what was important to her, and figure out her future. Then, when she had a clear plan, she'd call Harry.
She'd expected it to take three days. Five, at the most. What a joke. Meditation had lasted thirty minutes and got her nowhere but a place of intense frustration as she realized just how terrible she was at controlling her own mind. Then, she'd found herself curled up in a ball on the couch, missing everyone she'd lost in her life from Ron, to James and Lily, to Dumbledore, to her aunt who had died when she was seven.
Three days. She scoffed inwardly. It was probably going to be more like three years, maybe longer. Ron's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. "Hermione?"
"I don't understand. It's been two days and you're suddenly … okay … with me and Harry?"
"Fuck no!" he said forcefully, making her jump slightly. "I mean—I'm trying to be mature. I reckon if I pretend I'm okay with it, I will be one day. Or—I don't know."
Honestly, the thought of them together, even on opposite sides of the room, not touching, made him want to punch something. Even though he'd accepted that there had been a lot of problems with his and Hermione's relationship, it didn't mean he wasn't upset it was suddenly over. And the way it had ended… Bloody fucking hell.
"I'm angry," he admitted. "I'm so fucking angry with both of you. You went behind my back. You took him to that world knowing you two were engaged there! I have to imagine you knew something like this would happen. And —" He stopped to take a deep breath. "I'm trying to be okay with it, even though I'm not. Because I can't—I can't lose you. Either of you."
Ron knew first-hand what it was like to have a loved one ripped away from him. And the thought of losing Harry and Hermione in one go—when he was able to prevent it... He blinked back tears. He was desperate to keep that from happening, no matter what it took. And they seemed just as committed to keeping him as a friend, which helped. They weren't treating him like a burden they longed to be rid of.
Hermione took a step forward and placed a soft hand on his arm. "You're not going to lose me."
"Yeah?"
She nodded. "And you're right to be upset. It was wrong, what I did, and I'm so sorry."
"Yeah. Good," he grumbled, still breathing heavily to combat his rising temper.
"And I'm not going to be with Harry."
His eyes snapped to hers, searching for a lie, but there was none there. "You're not?"
Hermione shook her head. "Not now. Not … soon. I just lost my job and my first love. I'm not going to rush into something new. He shouldn't either. For all those same reasons, and more. Plus, I'm not over you."
"You're not?"
Hermione gave him a sad smile. "No, Ron. Just because it was my idea to break up, doesn't mean I'm not sad about it. It's going to take time."
Ron let out a giant sigh of relief. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against her forehead. "Thank Merlin," he murmured against her warm skin. "I was trying to be mature and all, but I wouldn't have been able to handle that."
She let out a small laugh. "I know."
By the time Ron left, Harry felt like a new wizard. He was still sad, still alone, and still wanted to strangle the other Harry for getting the life he wanted. He was still guilty about what he'd done to Ron and Ginny and desperate to see Hermione, but the feelings weren't paralyzing. He was able to get dressed and go outside for some much-needed groceries and fresh air.
He brewed a batch of Dreamless Sleep in the afternoon and had just finished bottling the brew when there was a knock at the door. "What's with all the knocking on the door?" he asked the room. The room, luckily, didn't answer.
After shoving the dragonhide gloves he'd forgotten to put away into his pocket, he opened the door to find Hermione standing on the doorstep, holding two carrier bags.
"Hermione."
"Hi."
"Shit. You're here."
She dropped her eyes and blushed slightly. "Oh. Uh. So I am."
"No, sorry." Harry stepped forward and grabbed the bags out of her hands and placed them on the floor as she followed him inside the house.
He gave her a warm smile as he took in her appearance. Damn, she was beautiful, even though she looked a bit tired. She was wearing jeans with a red cardigan and cream top and her hair was hanging over her shoulders in loose curls. She had the otter pendant necklace on and was shifting her weight nervously, probably because of his rude welcome.
"I'm thrilled you're here, really," he began to explain. "But I had this plan to come over to your flat and formally invite you to a weekly meal. You said you're always the one setting these things up and I wanted to show you I could too—but you beat me to it."
"Oh." She returned his smile. "I just thought tonight would be good since—uh—we usually go to the Burrow, so we're both free."
"Yeah," he nodded sadly. "Good idea."
Harry couldn't drag his eyes away from her. She seemed just as caught up in him, which gave him the confidence to take a large step forward, shortening the gap between them.
She closed the rest of the distance and brushed her fingers along the side of his arm.
He lifted his hand to her face and traced the line of her jaw with his index finger. His chest clenched at the sorrow he saw in her beautiful brown eyes. "How are you?"
"Sad."
"Me too."
Harry dropped his hand and took her palm in his. She looked down at his chest. "Ron came by this morning. It was really nice of him. I could tell he was trying to be mature about this whole thing."
"Yeah. He was here most of yesterday and stayed over last night."
Her eyes widened. "He did? Wow." It was one thing forgiving her, but forgiving Harry? And so quickly? "When I was imagining how all this would go, I wasn't giving him enough credit."
"Me neither."
She leaned her head forward, resting it on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her tightly. She smiled as she realized he smelled the same in this world as he did in the other. He felt the same, too. It hadn't just been their other bodies that fit so well together.
Hermione wrapped her hands behind his back. Harry buried his face in her hair and they just stood there, holding each other for several moments. This is exactly what he'd been missing for the past few days. This was what he needed, Hermione in his arms. Now that she was here, back where she belonged, the impossible tasks ahead of him: finding a new job, moving, trying to repair what he'd broken with Ron and the rest of the Weasleys, coping with the loss of his parents all over again, seemed doable.
Harry leaned back, keeping his arms wrapped around her, and looked down at her. She lifted her head and smiled when their eyes met. It occurred to him that this was the first time he was holding her since they'd broken off their engagements. The first time they were allowed to do this.
His gaze drifted to her lips, then back to her eyes. There was desire there, pushing away the sorrow he'd seen earlier. He grabbed her chin. When she didn't protest, he leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her lips.
She smiled. He kissed the length of her grin as he moved his second hand behind her neck, burying it in her curls. She tilted her head and began moving her lips against his. A fire in Harry's chest roared in triumph. She was kissing him back!
He was content to keep it like this, slow and gentle, but Hermione had other plans. She moved her hands up and gripped his shoulders as she deepened their kiss, pushing her tongue into his mouth, where his tongue met hers eagerly.
She continued to raise the intensity, digging her nails into his shoulder, pressing her tongue harder against his, speeding up the pace, then biting his bottom lip as he paused to take a breath.
Harry met every move, eager to take as much of her as she was willing to give. They paused for breath again but stayed close, exhaling warm air against each other's lips.
Hermione wanted to take his hand and guide him upstairs. She wanted to take his shirt off, then his trousers, and press herself against him. She wanted to run her hands along his chest and explore his body. She wanted to satisfy the need that had been growing in her over the past week. She wanted him, so badly, and it took every ounce of willpower to place a hand on his chest and step backward.
Because she knew if they did this now, Ron would be in the bed with them. Probably Ginny, too. It was too soon. And if she was being honest, she was still worried about the sincerity of Harry's feelings. When they finally did this (if they ever did this, a weak voice corrected) she wanted to be sure it was real, and she wanted to be sure it was just about them. Even now, Ron's hurt and angry expression was lingering at the corners of her mind, threatening to fight its way to the forefront of her thoughts.
"We shouldn't," she said, dropping her eyes to her hand, which was still on his chest.
"Okay," he breathed. He placed a finger under her chin and tilted it up. "I love you."
She smiled.
"I'm sorry about the kiss," he said, looking embarrassed. "I probably shouldn't have—"
"Don't apologize," she cut in. "It's not like I was pushing you away or anything."
"Quite the contrary," he added with a grin.
Her blush deepened and she squirmed in his arms, but he just tightened his grip on her, keeping her in place. "It was a good first kiss," she allowed.
Harry swore.
"What?"
"I didn't realize it was our first kiss, but you're right. It was—at least in this world. Damn. I should have picked somewhere better than the hall where Sirius's mum used to yell at you."
Hermione patted his cheek playfully, then finally managed to extricate herself from his firm embrace. She went to get the carrier bags Harry had set to the side and led the way to the kitchen at the back of the house. She placed the bags on the counter and turned to face Harry.
"I actually, um, didn't expect us to be—you know -"
"Snogging?" he provided, a grin playing on his lips.
"Precisely." She took a deep breath. "We both have a lot going on. We lost our jobs, we lost our fiancés, and we lost Lily and James. In the midst of all that, we should focus on our friendship. So, I think we should do these Sunday dinners as friends. So just, friends having dinner and being … friendly," she ended lamely.
Harry gripped the edge of the counter and leaned toward her. "Do you want to say 'friends' one more time?" he joked. "Just to really drive the point home?"
That earned him a smile.
"I get it, Hermione. Really. You're right, as usual. I was just thinking that it would be smart to take some time and to think about my relationship with Ginny. Examine what went wrong and where we could have done better, you know?"
She nodded as she took the food she'd brought out of the bags. "That's a really good idea."
Harry snorted. "Yeah. Then I saw you, and it completely left my mind. But I am going to do it—figure out where I went wrong so that when we finally get together, it lasts."
She blushed again. He went to the other side of the counter to help her sort out the groceries.
"Thanks for bringing all this, by the way. You didn't have to."
"I didn't mind. It was a good excuse to get out."
Harry nodded knowingly. After they'd unloaded the groceries, Harry grabbed Hermione's arm while she was on her way to the stove to pull out a pan.
"Hey," he said, his tone serious.
She nodded for him to continue.
"Is this—us—a possibility one day?"
"It's certainly possible," she said noncommittally.
Harry stepped closer, then leaned down and whispered in her ear, "What if I took my shirt and glasses off?"
She forced out a laugh as the feeling of his warm breath on her neck sent a chill through her. His eyes were dancing with amusement, but she could sense a hint of fear there.
"I just need time, Harry," she whispered. "The feelings are there. I think … that was clear." She cocked her head toward the entryway.
"Okay. I just wanted to check."
"And to answer your earlier question about the shirt and glasses," she continued with a smirk. "I'd say that would upgrade this to a definite possibility."
Harry nodded thoughtfully, trying to keep his expression serious as his eyes sparkled with mirth. "Okay. We'll see how the night goes."
Two weeks later, Ginny was walking down Diagon Alley, trying to hide her nerves as she approached the restaurant where she was meeting Parvati. She checked her reflection in the glass of the storefronts as she walked, wondering if there would be a photo printed with the article.
As she made her way down the street, she nervously twirled her ring around on her finger. It was pathetic that she was still wearing it, but she couldn't help herself. It was beautiful and the finest thing she owned, by far. But more than that, it had been a promise of a better life. The sort of life she'd always dreamed of with a boy she'd loved for so long, she couldn't remember when it had started. One thing she was certain of, she had loved Harry first, before Hermione even knew he existed.
She scowled as she looked down at the ring on her finger. She'd moved it to her other hand, but it was still pathetic. At least Harry had let her keep it. He'd delivered the message through Ron, since Ginny refused to speak with him. Ron, however, had forgiven him, or was trying to. Ginny had no idea what that was about—it was so out of character for her brother—but frankly, she didn't care. She had her own problems to be getting on with.
She focused back on the task at hand, stopping to fix a stray lock of hair that had blown out of place. She usually didn't care this much about her appearance, but in case there was a photo of her accompanying the article where she planned to tell the world what a selfish prat their beloved Chosen One was, she wanted to look her best.
Ginny had waited as long as possible to begin canceling her wedding plans. The venue needed to be canceled before the end of the month, when the second payment was due, so she'd started with that. Harry had offered to help (again, through Ron) but Ginny had brushed them both off. In a twisted way, she liked the chore of canceling her wedding, one task at a time. Each one served to fuel her anger, which helped stave off the sorrow hovering at the edges of her consciousness. She knew it was unhealthy, but didn't know what else to do.
Then, two days after she'd canceled the venue, she'd received a note from Parvati, asking if Ginny wanted to catch up. Ginny knew exactly what the note was about. She had never been friends with Parvati, who was a year older than Ginny and far too shallow and giggly for Ginny's liking. But this meeting wasn't about two friends catching up. Parvati was a reporter for Witch Weekly. "Gossip writer" was a more accurate term, but the official title that had appeared on the business card she'd left with the note was "reporter." Even without the card, Ginny would have known what Parvati wanted. She wanted the story.
Usually, Ginny would have brushed her off. She rarely divulged details about her personal life, especially when it came to her and Harry. She knew how private he was. Plus, it wasn't anyone's bloody business. But this time… she'd agreed to the meeting. It was petty, she knew that, but simply put, she wanted to hurt Harry just as much as he'd hurt her. She also wanted the reassurances she knew she'd get from the public that she was a much better catch than Hermione Granger.
Ginny's stomach turned at the thought of her friend. Former friend, she corrected. She blinked back tears as she turned the corner. When her eyes landed on the entrance to the restaurant, she froze. Bollocks. Luna was there.
She was standing a few paces from the door to the restaurant, staring at a large, glass frame that typically held posters for an upcoming concert or ballet. This one was empty, but Luna was studying it like it held the answers to all of life's mysteries. With how engrossed Luna was in studying the empty frame, Ginny thought she may be able to slip past her.
She decided to try, cursing herself for never learning Disillusionment Charms as she crept behind Luna toward the door to the restaurant as silently as possible.
"Hi, Ginny," Luna said airily, keeping her head forward.
Ginny let out a sigh and turned to face Luna. "Oh! Luna. I didn't see you there."
Luna turned and frowned, but didn't comment on Ginny's obvious lie.
"Sorry I can't stay and chat," Ginny said, "but I have a meeting." She gestured toward the restaurant.
"With who?" Luna asked.
Now it was Ginny's turn to frown. Luna may be distant and terrible with normal social conventions, but she was sharp and the second Ginny told her she was meeting with Parvati, Luna would know why. Her brows knit together as she tried to think of a plausible lie.
"Is it Harry?" Luna asked. "Is that why you're nervous?"
Ginny blinked quickly and looked away from Luna. Luna saw her blinking back tears, then noticed her fidgeting with her ring, which she was wearing on the wrong hand. Her heart ached for her friend.
It was clear something significant had happened between Ginny, Ron, Harry, and Hermione. They'd been marching calmly toward futures neither of them really wanted and then, suddenly, the whole thing had been turned on its head. Neville had a hundred theories about it, each one more implausible than the last, but Luna knew exactly what had happened.
It all came down to Wumblewigs. They were mostly invisible creatures that settled in people's minds, distorting their thoughts. Similar to Wrackspurts, but with more subtle effects. They preyed on children but as most people grew, and their brains enlarged to fill the gaps between the brain and the skull (which was where these creatures typically took up purchase), the Wumblewigs grew uncomfortable and flew away.
Wumblewigs were behind childish fantasies, like growing up to be a knight or finding a tall, handsome prince to marry. When they finally left, it could be jarring for the individual, and usually led to big life changes, like divorce or a career change.
It made perfect sense to her that the loss of the Wumblewigs would lead Harry, Hermione, and Ron to suddenly quit their jobs and end their current relationships. They were finally allowed to think clearly, without interference from those infernal pests. It was just too bad Ginny hadn't managed to shed hers, yet.
"Not Harry," Ginny was saying, drawing Luna's attention back to her. "Just, someone else. But—uh—I really should be going."
Luna narrowed her eyes at Ginny, causing Ginny to freeze in place. Luna rarely looked at anything this fiercely. "I'm sorry about you and Harry," Luna said with a gentle tone that didn't match the harshness of her gaze.
"Yeah, you've said," Ginny replied carefully. She tried to sidle closer to the door, but moved slowly. It was almost like the air around them had thickened to the consistency of quicksand. Had Luna done something? No, Ginny was just being paranoid.
"I know you and Harry aren't talking now," Luna continued, "which is too bad. But I hope one day you'll be friends again."
Ginny scowled. "I told you what happened. He fell in love with Hermione. How am I supposed to forgive that? We may never be friends again. I know it's hard for you," she added snippily, guessing (incorrectly) that this was Luna's point, "but you're going to have to learn to be friends with us separately."
Luna chewed the inside of her cheek as she chose her next words. Ginny hoped the conversation was finished, since Luna was staring off into the distance, but when she tried to move, her motions were sluggish. Luna had definitely cast some sort of charm.
Ginny rolled her eyes and was about to ask Luna to drop the enchantment when Luna said, "Harry chose to follow his heart. That's all we can do, isn't it? And if it had been you who had found happiness with someone else, what do you think he would have done?"
Ginny opened her mouth to defend herself, but no words came out. It wasn't due to any spells this time. She just didn't have anything to say to that. Luna reached out and patted her arm and the next moment, she was gone, loping down the street in a meandering path. Once she'd turned the corner, the air around Ginny lightened and she could move normally again.
Ginny squared her shoulders, took a deep breath, and marched into the restaurant. Parvati was waiting for her, nearly bouncing in her seat with anticipation. She didn't waste any time. As soon as the waiter delivered their drinks, Parvati leaned in and said, with an impressive lack of tact, "So what happened? What did Harry do?" She reached out and gave Ginny's arm a small pat. "You can tell me everything."
Ginny hesitated, fidgeting with her hands under the table. This was what she wanted, wasn't it? To tell the world how awful Harry was. She obviously couldn't tell the whole truth, thanks to Kingsley's contract, but she could speak about Hermione, and how Harry had decided to be with her out of nowhere. And she wouldn't even be lying. It would explain Ron and Hermione's break-up too, which had also been a point of speculation in the papers.
This wasn't wrong. She was just telling a friend what had happened.
Now you're pushing it. Since when is Parvati a friend?
Ron was going to be so angry with her. Honestly, her whole family was going to be angry with her. They all knew about Harry and Hermione by now and while their responses had been varied (from Bill's solemn nod to her mum's outrage), no one would approve of her sharing the details with the papers.
But it wasn't her family's words echoing in her mind and keeping her from speaking. It was Luna's, of all people.
"If it had been you who had found happiness with someone else, what do you think he would have done?"
Damn, Luna. Ginny couldn't do this. No matter how angry she was with Harry, she knew this was wrong. After everything he'd done for her, for her family, for the entire world, he didn't deserve this. Especially since she knew that if their positions were reversed, as Luna had said, he would have stepped aside and let Ginny be happy.
She swallowed back a lump in her throat. That damn wizard. She loved him, even still, and the fact that she'd lost him hurt. But this wasn't the way to deal with it.
"Well?" Parvati asked, cutting into her thoughts.
Ginny glared at the witch. "How dare you pretend you're here as my friend. We barely know each other, but you didn't waste any time 'reaching out.' We both know you don't care for me one bit, or Harry, for that matter. You just want your stupid story."
Parvati's fake smile turned into a grimace. "Is that why you came here? To lecture me?"
Ginny shook her head. "No, I'm not going to sit here and lecture you for picking such a harmful career, especially after everything we went through in the war. Wouldn't you want to pick something that helped the world, instead of hurting it?"
"Right. Like Quidditch," she bit back. "You and your friends are so loony."
Ginny was already out of her seat and barely registered the slight about Quidditch. She'd been expecting it and honestly, she didn't care what Parvati thought of her choice of career, but she focused on the last part of the statement. "What's that about my friends?"
Parvati shrugged. "I saw Loony Lovegood on my way in. I'd say she's making you all mad."
Ginny clenched her hand around the wand in her pocket, but knew she couldn't do anything. Not in a crowded place like this. She just needed to get out of here. Away from this awful witch. Once outside, she stopped to take a deep breath. Her eyes drifted to the spot Luna had been standing in, obviously waiting for Ginny.
She'd known exactly what Ginny had been about to do and had tried to deter her in her special, Luna way. Ginny smiled, then turned on her toe and Apparated to the first place she could think. She reappeared a few seconds later on the doorstep of Grimmauld Place.
She was a little surprised the wards had let her in. Then again, she wasn't. She couldn't see Harry doing something as vindictive as altering the wards to keep her out, although that was the first thing she'd asked her parents to do at the Burrow. Her dad refused but even then, Harry hadn't been by the house.
Ginny swallowed hard, her hand shaking on the doorknob. She couldn't do it. She couldn't see Harry. She didn't want to hurt him (well, not publicly) but that didn't mean she was ready to forgive him. Not now. Not… for a while. Honestly, probably not until she'd found a better husband and had had a few beautiful kids. Maybe then, she would be able to face Harry.
She shook her head at the ridiculous thought, but it's how she felt. She pulled her hand up to her face (the one with the ring) and started crying into it. Damn, she was pathetic. What was she doing? Crying on her ex-fiancé's doorstep? She never cried.
She tried her best to collect herself, at least enough so she could Disapparate. She reappeared at a familiar house a few miles from the Burrow. She had no idea why she'd chosen this house, of all places, but it was the first one that had popped into her head and she was just desperate to leave Harry's before she was caught.
She could just go home from here, but something made her approach the odd house. As Ginny approached the door, being careful to avoid the dirigible plums, she wondered if Luna would even be here. It hadn't been clear from their meeting in Diagon Alley if she'd been heading straight home.
Luna opened the door before Ginny could raise her hand to knock. "Ginny," she said warmly, as if she'd been expecting her to show up unannounced.
Ginny threw her arms around the slight witch, finally releasing the tears she'd been holding back for weeks. "I hate you, Luna."
"There will be a new moon tonight, the carrots in the back garden are not infested with obunjos, and there are no such things as nargles."
"What?" Ginny asked.
Luna leaned back and gave Ginny a wide smile. "You said you hated me, but we were saying untrue statements, right? Like a game."
Ginny let out a teary laugh. "Sure, Luna."
Luna moved back into the house. "Do you want to come inside? You can cry some more. It may help dislodge the Wumblewigs."
Ginny shook her head as she followed after Luna. "Why not? Maybe after I've got all the tears out, you can tell me what the bloody hell you're talking about."
Back in London, Harry, Hermione, and Ron were in the back garden of Grimmauld Place, lying on their backs in the grass and looking up at the clouds while Teddy flew around them on a miniature broom.
They'd originally ended up on the ground at Teddy's insistence that they find all the shapes in the clouds, but he'd quickly grown tired of the game, since it conflicted with his goal of moving each muscle as much as possible before bedtime. So Harry had Summoned the toy broom, knowing it would buy them at least twenty minutes of peace before Teddy decided to move on to the next activity.
This was the first time since their breakups that the three of them had hung out together. It was awkward, but having Teddy around as a distraction helped. It also helped that Harry and Hermione were determined to make this as easy for Ron as possible.
They were being a bit extreme about staying away from each other: making a point to be on opposite sides of the room, avoiding each other's gazes to a point of excess (even when one of them was talking, the other wouldn't look at them), and refraining from any mention of their recent trip, though Ron could tell it was on both of their minds. He appreciated the gesture, though hoped with time they'd all learn how to act naturally around each other again.
As Teddy played through a made-up Quidditch match in his head, yelling out the occasional Quidditch term, Harry, Ron, and Hermione discussed their jobs.
"I'm going to move to the Magical Law Enforcement team," Ron was saying.
"Really?" Hermione asked. "What made you choose that?"
"When I got to thinking about it, I realized I sort of liked being an Auror but without all the extreme stuff," Ron explained. "That's pretty much what the MLE is. Aurors, but less. They don't have as long of hours and don't have to deal with all the dark stuff the Aurors do. They have the same general skills though, so I'm already qualified."
"Overqualified," Harry corrected.
Ron blushed. "Yeah. Maybe."
"That's brilliant, though," Harry continued. "What did Robards say?"
"Wonky fint!" Teddy shouted.
Ron turned and grinned at Hermione. "Isn't that how you say it?" He blocked the punch he knew was coming, then turned back to Harry. "He mostly told me how angry he was with you. He assumed my decision to move was all your fault, which was sort of true."
"Not really," Harry replied. "This is just you finally choosing what you want for yourself. You should be proud. I hope you like it."
"Thanks," Ron replied, unable to help but smile. It was weird, being the only one out of his friends with a steady job. He never would have guessed they'd end up like this in a million years. But it was good for Harry and Hermione to take some time. Better than rushing into something they didn't like.
He winced at the last thought. It was similar to what they'd been doing with their weddings. Rushing into marriages with their first loves while ignoring the obvious signs that something was wrong. Ron pushed the painful thought out of his mind and focused back on Harry. "Any luck?" he asked.
"Nope," Harry said quickly. "This morning, Teddy was asking me what he should be when he grew up. He asked again what I did and I said I was still figuring it out and I swear, that kid was giving me some serious side-eye."
Hermione laughed. "Crookshanks does the same to me every morning. I can almost hear him thinking, 'Seriously, human? Staying home again?'"
"Snitches!" Teddy cried as he zoomed over Hermione's legs.
"More than one?" she asked. "Now even I know that's unusual."
"Don't try to look for logic in his games," Harry warned. "It will only drive you mad."
She smiled, then quickly looked away from Harry, back at the clouds above them. "You're not the only one completely lost, Harry," she said with a sigh.
"I take it the meditation's not going well?" Ron asked. He'd chortled when Hermione first told him about it, but had since learned it was a suggestion from Harry's mum, as it had been very helpful for the Hermione in the other world.
"It's a disaster," she said.
"Sorry," Harry said. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"Not at all."
This time, Teddy's shout was timely. "Bludge! Bludge! Owwww!"
Ron sat up quickly, eyes darting around the garden until he spotted Teddy flying near the fence.
"He's fine," Harry said. "I know the difference between the fake 'ows' and the real ones."
Ron nodded and settled back onto the grass.
They were quiet for a few moments, watching the clouds, then Harry announced, "I've narrowed down the house search to two places across town. Do you two—er—want to see them?"
"I don't know," Hermione said. "I'm pretty busy sitting alone in my flat listening to my stupid thoughts."
"If your thoughts are stupid," Ron cut in, "we're all in trouble."
They laughed, then Ron said, "As I'm the only one here with a job, I reckon we should try to work around my schedule."
Hermione kicked the side of his leg. "Keep rubbing it in. We're loving that, Ronald."
"I'll find some times and send them over with Hermes," Harry said, trying to cut them off before they started bickering. "I want your opinion since you'll both be, erm, over a lot."
He winced. Shit. He didn't mean for that to come out like that. He looked over at Ron, who hadn't seemed to catch the double meaning to his statement. When he looked at Hermione, however, she was watching him, her expression unreadable. He gave her a small smile and she returned it before focusing back on the sky.
"Is it going to be hard for you to leave this place behind?" she asked.
"Yeah. I'm trying to force myself to remember things, you know, and it's, well, easier to do that here. But I need to let it go. There's remembering and obsessing and I—I'm still looking for that balance."
She nodded knowingly, then lowered her voice and said, "I'm proud of you. And I know it's not just me."
After an awkward amount of silence, Ron lifted his head and saw Harry and Hermione caught up in each other's stares. It was one of those things they did often without even realizing it. He took a deep, steadying breath as he placed his head back down, then closed his eyes. Fuck, this sucked. But he had to hope it would get easier. He reminded himself for the millionth time that they weren't doing this on purpose, that it was better to have figured this out before his and Hermione's wedding, than after it, and that he loved his friends.
Harry, who was oblivious to Ron's internal struggle, reached out and brushed the back of his hand along Hermione's arm. "They'd be proud of you too."
Several tears fell down her cheeks and she lifted her arm to wipe them away with her sleeve. "Thanks," she whispered. "I needed to hear that."
Harry squeezed her hand before taking his arm back and putting it behind his head. He turned to ask Ron if he had any updates on his family, when Teddy cut in. "Catch the Seeker and WINNNN! All done!"
"Well that's it then," Ron said as he pulled himself up, his voice sounding rougher than normal.
"He caught the Seeker. Everyone knows that's the end of the game," Hermione added, her lips turning up as she got to her feet and went to congratulate Teddy on his win.
Ron was about to stand when Harry caught his arm. "You okay, mate?"
"Yeah. Or—I will be. I think."
Harry frowned. "Wanna go to the pub tonight? Just us?"
Ron smiled. A genuine smile. He cocked his head toward Hermione, who was currently talking to Teddy as she helped him off the toy broom. "Yeah. But for now, I reckon we should go and save Teddy from Hermione, especially if she's trying to discuss Quidditch."
Harry looked over at Hermione, who frowned slightly when she caught his eye, then back at Ron. "You go. I'll get a snack ready for Teddy and meet you all inside. Then we can watch a movie." "Okay." "Hey," Harry said once Ron had pulled himself to his feet. "Thank you." Ron blushed. He didn't have to ask what Harry was thanking him for. He knew. He gave Harry a dismissive wave before going to join Hermione and Teddy. James's words echoed through Harry's mind as he made his way back to the house. "If he's truly your best mate, he'll understand. He'll know you didn't do it on purpose and he'll forgive you." He's an even better mate than I thought, Harry said in his head. He did this often, spoke to his parents in his mind. He had no idea if it made him mad, but it comforted him, so he kept it up. I wish you could have met him, dad. I think you would have loved him just as much as you loved Hermione.
