Chapter 3 - The First Week
One Week Later…
Harry woke up feeling refreshed and invigorated after a good night's sleep without any haunting nightmares, a first since the Final Battle. Every night since that fateful night always brought him nightmares of what happened and what could have happen which always brought Hermione and/or Ron in the middle of the night in his room, waking him up and comforting him till he went back to sleep. Hermione and Ron always end up sleeping with him on his bed, which was big enough to accommodate all three of them.
That night, however, was the first time that Hermione and Ron didn't come to his room to soothe him of his nightmares. He awoke revitalized. But that was soon shattered when he heard Hermione's unmistakable angry voice across the hall from his bedroom.
"RONALD BILLIUS WEASLEY! GET YOUR ARSE HERE IN THE BATHROOM THIS INSTANT!"
Harry winced at hearing Hermione's voice. He was pretty sure that Ron forgot once more to lift up the toilet seat that morning after doing his usual morning business. Hermione, who made certain house rules (one which included lifting the toilet seat after each use), made sure that both of her boys follow them to develop manners, as she said. She was living with two boys after all. One, who never had a proper training as a child because of mistreatment and another, who grew up with lots of siblings so that his training was not at all passable, at least to Hermione's standards.
"What?!" came Ron's foggy voice. Apparently, he just woke up as well. Or was pretending that he just woke up. "What did I do this time?"
Harry, not wanting to miss out on the action, donned his Invisibility Cloak, opened his bedroom door without the slightest creak, and tiptoed across the hall, careful not to make a noise, thanks to the carpeted floors.
"What did you do?" asked Hermione incredulously, "What the hell did you do?! Look! Just look at the mess that you did here!" she motioned towards the bathroom.
The bathroom was a mess, all right. Aside from the toilet seat not lifted up, the hand and face towels were scattered on the floor. The toothpaste was plastered on the bathroom sink. And the shower was not turned off properly, water was dripping from it.
Ron took one glance at all of it and shook his head. "I didn't do this, `Mione. I've been asleep and you've just woken me up."
"Then who else would do this, huh?" she asked seething.
Ron shrugged. "I don't know. Dobby or Harry, maybe."
Hermione shook her head disbelievingly. "Harry is still in his room, asleep, Ron. And Dobby is somewhere in the house, cleaning probably. Don't lie to me, Ronald. You know that I could tell who did this mess here." She glared at Ron as she said this. Harry was smirking at the whole situation especially at Ron's face.
Ron gulped and made no indications to reply. Hermione walked inside the bathroom and picked up one of the towels on the floor. The particular towel she held had the initials RW embroidered in it. She looked pointedly at Ron then turned off the shower. She made a face before wiping the toilet seat with Ron's towel and lifted it up.
She then held the towel in her right pointer finger and thumb. She went back outside the bathroom and said, "So - it isn't you, huh? Then whose towel is this, Ron? Care to tell me? And I notice your hair is wet." She threw the towel on Ron's head. "Were you having nightmares as well? Were you tossing and turning and sweating in your sleep? Huh?! Harry has never made a mess like this since we moved in together, Ron! Can't you follow a simple instruction?" she said, frustrated with him.
Ron grew redder by the minute and grinned sheepishly at Hermione. "Oh, don't give me that grin Ronald! It wouldn't get you anywhere!" Hermione glowered at Ron for another second before turning towards the bathroom.
"Er - I'll just go now, shall I?" said Ron, starting to back away from the bathroom. Harry backed out and started to walk away as well from it, chuckling silently.
Hermione turned around and sternly said, "And you better learn your lesson, Ronald or I wouldn't be so forgiving next time!" before she slammed the door shut, which made Ron cringe. Then he started to walk towards his own room muttering under his breath. By this time, Harry was already in his own room and finally gave in to laughing. The boys both knew that Hermione rarely keeps her threats to them, so usually - they don't take them seriously. However, once they were at the end of Hermione's wrath - well, that's another story.
An hour later, the Trio sat at the kitchen table eating their breakfast, which Dobby had prepared, in peace. There was obvious tension between Hermione and Ron though, particularly on Ron's part. He wasn't eating as vigorously as he usually does. Hermione, attempting to clear the tension spoke up, "So, Harry. How was your night?"
Harry swallowed his food before answering, "It was fine. I didn't have the usual nightmares, this time. A first, actually."
Hermione smiled. "That's good. And yes, I noticed you are looking fresh this morning."
"Mister Wheezy, sir?" Dobby inquired. "Is something wrong with the food, sir?" Ron, who was poking his pancakes and bacon, looked up and shook his head at Dobby.
"You are awfully quiet this morning, Ron. Is something the matter?" asked Harry innocently, attempting to hide the grin that's pushing its way out.
"No," he mumbled. He was sitting as far away from Hermione as was possible.
"Oh, nothing's wrong with Ron, Harry," Hermione answered then looked pointedly at Ron. "He just missed out on something this morning. And hopefully, he will remember next time. Isn't that right, Ron?"
"Yes," he said. He took a bite of his pancake and swallowed it before saying, "Mother." He muttered this last word almost inaudibly that only Harry heard. Harry chuckled and returned to his food.
"Professor McGonagall owled me this morning," said Hermione after a while. "I've been meaning to tell you this but I've forgotten all about it for the past week. What with all the adjustments we did in this house. Anyway," she continued in her brisk tone, which of course meant that it was something important and both boys had to listen to whatever she was going to say, "she offered me to teach Transfiguration at Hogwarts this coming school year!"
Both boys looked up from their food. Harry slowly grinned at Hermione while Ron simply looked shocked.
"That's great, Hermione," said Harry, getting up and hugging Hermione. "You should take the job."
"Yeah, `Mione. We know you love to be a teacher. We," Ron pointed at himself and at Harry, "are proofs and witnesses of that."
"I've been really thinking hard about it," she mused, untangling herself from Harry. Harry remained at her side though, with his arm still around her. Ron noticed this and hid a smile. "I would have said an outright `yes' when the Headmistress asked me last week during graduation, but I immediately thought of you two. I mean - being a teacher there means I have to be at Hogwarts the whole school year. I won't be able to be here at Grimmauld when you need me." At this point, Harry removed his arm from Hermione's waist.
"I thought of taking the offer that the Department of International Magical Cooperation offered me instead. That way, I'm still near home and Harry, if you decide to take up on the Auror post. And of course, near you too, Ron."
Ron noticed again the way Hermione added him as a last thought and thought of first and foremost of Harry. This time, he really grinned knowingly at his two best friends. "Well, I have no problem with that since I already decided on taking up the offer of being a reserve Keeper for Puddlemere. Remind me to thank Oliver for that, by the way," said Ron.
Oliver Wood, previously Gryffindor's Quidditch Captain and reserve Keeper for Puddlemere United, was now the starter Keeper for said team and recommended Ron to their coach and manager to be his reserve Keeper. Ron was still very much into Chudley Cannons, but getting asked to play in a professional Quidditch team, especially since it was Puddlemere, was enough for him. After all, Puddlemere was and still is one of the best Quidditch teams in the country.
"I'll be out usually training or on the road during the game season, so whatever you decide, `Mione, is ok with me," he finished.
Hermione looked up at Harry expectantly. Harry shrugged and walked back to his seat, his mood changing immediately from being happy to almost indifferent. Both Ron and Hermione were used to this by now. They knew Harry was still coping up with the whole post-war stress disorders. But it was still harder for Hermione to see Harry like this.
"Harry?" asked Hermione when Harry didn't say anything.
Harry looked up and stared at her for a few seconds before closing his eyes then taking a deep breath. "It's all right, Hermione. Whatever it is that you want to do, I will be happy for you," then he forced in a smile.
Hermione felt that Harry was only saying that for her sake. Deep inside, she knew that Harry didn't want her to take up the Transfiguration post at Hogwarts. Why, she didn't want to answer. But she assumed that since Ron would be gone for days on end during training, Harry would be left alone at Grimmauld if she decided to take up the Headmistress' offer and Harry didn't want that. She knew that he was still afraid of the nightmares that kept coming back. Still afraid of the loneliness, the guilt, the incompleteness he feels even after having survived from the war. She knew that they are the only family he had left and without them, Harry would probably go insane.
"Look - I wouldn't take the Transfiguration -"
"No."
Hermione stopped, mid-sentence and looked at Harry. He was not looking at her. It was his turn this time around to poke at his pancakes and bacon.
"But -"
"I said no, Hermione," said Harry, this time looking back up at Hermione. Ron shifted in his seat uncomfortably. The air was suddenly filled with more tension than earlier when they started having breakfast. "You are going to take up the Transfiguration post that Professor McGonagall offered you," he said calmly and with finality.
"But -"
Harry pushed back his chair roughly, stood up and went to the counter to get more orange juice. "You want that job, Hermione. It's been your dream for ages. You told me that when we were out hunting for Ravenclaw's book." Ron looked bewilderingly at Hermione when Harry said that, sending her a You-told-him-that-and-not-me look, which Hermione simply ignored.
Hermione was about to protest once more but Harry cut her short even with his back turned towards them. "Take it, Hermione. Take the job. Say yes to McGonagall. You want it. You know you really do." He turned and faced her. "You've sacrificed your dream of becoming Head Girl for me last school year. You sacrificed your dream of acing the NEWTs for me last school year too. I don't need you to sacrifice this one last dream that you have again because of me. I won't be having any of it." That said, he left his untouched glass of orange juice at the counter and walked out of the kitchen.
Both Ron and Hermione heard the front door opening and then shutting. Then they heard the muffled sound of feet shuffling down the front steps of their porch and into the streets of London.
Back at Grimmauld's kitchen, Hermione buried her face in her hands. Ron looked awkwardly around but went beside Hermione and encircled one arm around her, all tension about the bathroom incident that morning forgotten.
"I don't know what to do now, Ron," whispered Hermione as she cuddled closer to Ron.
"Shhh…" he consoled. "It will be all right. Just let him get his bearings. He has a point though. And you know Harry. He doesn't want to be pitied. He told me that he doesn't want our decisions to be hampered because of him."
"But it's not because I pity him that I want to stay here with him," answered Hermione.
"I know, `Mione. I know."
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Ron was in his room pacing after that morning incident downstairs at the kitchen. Since the Trio moved in together, it was a given that each of them would have their own room now. The master bedroom, the largest room, of course, was taken by Harry; the bedroom across his had been taken by Hermione and the bedroom down the hall, which was the second largest room in the house, by Ron.
Now, as Ron was pacing in his room - he began to think and analyze what happened downstairs. It was not new to Ron to think things over now, especially after what they have gone through together. True, he could still be a daft git at times, but it helps to think and mull things over once in a while. It helped them countless times during the war and during their Horcrux-hunting days when it was him who suggests out several strategies.
He remembered what he and Harry talked about at the kitchen before Hermione arrived at Grimmauld. He remembered telling Harry about the offer given to him by Puddlemere and not getting the same reaction that he just gave Hermione.
Harry and Ron were having a late breakfast that morning, a week before Graduation. Ron just moved in the night before, which was why they woke up late. They were having a peaceful breakfast, used to the friendly silence that had developed between them.
Ron broke the silence and said, "Hey, mate. Puddlemere owled me yesterday before I left The Burrow."
"Really?" asked Harry, his ears perking up. "And what did they have to say?"
"They want me to try out to be a reserve Keeper."
Harry looked up and grinned at his first best friend. "That's wonderful news!"
"Yeah," said Ron, grinning sheepishly. "The letter said that Oliver Wood recommended me, since he's now the starting Keeper for Puddlemere. He'd like me to train with him."
"And did you reply already?"
Ron shook his head. "Not yet. I want to run things with you and Hermione first. I'll take it if it's ok with both of you. You know how it is being on a professional Quidditch team. I'll always be out on training or on the road."
"You know what, Ron," said Harry, "you should say `yes.' This is one big opportunity that you shouldn't let pass. You've always wanted to be in a professional team. Even if it's not the Cannons." Harry grinned and clapped Ron on the back.
"But what about you and -"
Harry shook his head and put his hand up to stop Ron. "I'm ok Ron. At least I will be. And I'll still have Hermione. Plus you wouldn't be gone for years on end. You'd only be gone for days or weeks maybe. We'll still be a Trio. Always will be."
"Yeah," mumbled Ron. "Yeah, I reckon I should take it. Even if it's not the Cannons, Puddlemere is still one of the best teams in the country."
"Cool! Don't worry, mate. I'll go to every game that you have whether you play or not."
Ron grinned, despite of himself. "You better be."
Ron stopped his pacing and sat on the edge of his four-poster bed, much like what he had at Hogwarts but definitely bigger. In repeating the conversation over and over again, he had suddenly realized something.
"He said that he was ok and that's because he thinks Hermione will still be with him. And now - Hermione gets an offer from Hogwarts and if she accepts, then Harry will be left alone now here at Grimmauld," he said to himself, and started pacing again. "Harry said that he didn't want Hermione not taking the job because he knew it's one of Hermione's dreams. But he doesn't want to be left alone, and Hermione knows this. Which, of course, is why Hermione wants to turn down the Transfiguration job. But is that the only reason? Blimey, this is getting complicated!" he mused.
Finally, after another while of pacing, he suddenly stopped and said, brows furrowed, "Merlin, could they be? Can it be true?"
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(A/N: My love and thanks to my beloved beta, Lady Starlight. As usual, this chapter wouldn't be done without her gracious help.)
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