Disclaimer: Canon Harry Potter is not mine, ah if only
A/N: Hope you enjoy the chapter. It should have beautiful grammar this time. Thanks go to my amazing beta reader LydiaCarol!
Chapter 3 - Fractured Relationships
Hermione Apparated in front of her flat, impatiently murmuring the spell to unlock her front door. To her surprise she hadn't even needed the spell, the door already being unlocked. She entered the room slowly, her senses heightened, keeping an eye out for the slightest movement. A figure moved in the kitchen, and she inadvertently screamed. Ron came running in, his wand at the ready. Her hand flew to her racing heart, and she looked at him with annoyance.
"What are you doing here, Ron? You scared me out of my mind. I thought a disgruntled ex-Death Eater or something had come here to get me," she snapped her brown eyes flashing.
Ron smiled sheepishly; he hadn't meant to scare her so badly or to incur her wrath. "Sorry, Hermione. I was just worried because I went to visit you at work today, and they said that you had told them you couldn't come in today. You never, ever miss work, so naturally I was worried," he explained, frowning slightly as he finished.
"You rarely come to see me at work - why today?" she asked accusingly.
"I just wanted to see my girlfriend. Is there something wrong with that?" Ron demanded hotly.
Hermione sighed, feeling slightly guilty but still annoyed. "No, Ron. Like I said, it's just unusual."
"So, it's my turn to ask questions. What are you doing home today? You don't seem sick to me, and you were clearly just out somewhere. What's going on here?" Ron demanded his expression serious but probing.
Hermione shifted her gaze to the floor evasively, preferring the floorboards to Ron's eyes. Her face flushed, revealing the guilt that was boiling up inside her. She walked past him and set her bag on the table in the entry area, walking to the kitchen to make tea.
Before she could answer, he asked, more an accusation that a question, "You were at Harry's, weren't you?" as he followed her into the kitchen.
Hermione bit her lip, holding back the tears that she'd been on the verge of ever since leaving Harry's. She turned her back to Ron, rummaging in the cabinets for her teapot, trying to compose herself. Turning back to face him, she gave him a reproachful look.
"Does it really matter now?" she whispered, so that Ron could barely hear. She slammed down the teapot she was holding. It shattered loudly, glass scattering across the countertop.
Taking no notice of the teapot, Ron shouted, "It bloody does matter. I hate that you would even think about lying and going behind my back. You didn't when we were just best friends. I am just a little upset that you went to go see him, even after how he's treated us."
Hermione shrank away from his anger. This was not what she needed right now. Somehow it seemed that now matter how things were, Ron would always be jealous of Harry for one reason or another. It bothered her that she was thinking like that about her best friend and boyfriend. She sat down on a nearby stool, feeling emotionally drained.
"You didn't even give me a chance to lie to you before you started accusing me, Ronald," Hermione sniffed, futilely trying to pick up the pieces of glass on the counter. Her hands were shaking too much, though; giving up, she dropped them futilely to her sides.
Ron expression softened slightly, though he still looked angry. "Yes, well I thought you were going to."
"Alright, Ron, I was at Harry's. Are you happy? I just needed to talk to him. To hear his side without you yelling. But I really don't want to see him any time soon after today," she told him crossly.
"Why? What did the foul git do to you?" Ron demanded, jumping into attack mode. Hermione held back a frown. It still seemed so strange to hear Ron talk about Harry like that even though she was mad at him.
"Nothing. It just seems that you were right about him, and I guess I was trying to lie to myself about him. It doesn't matter, though, and I really don't have the strength to talk about this anymore," she said.
Ron sighed, his anger spent, and sat in a chair at the kitchen table.
"Now do you want some tea?" she asked.
"Um, sure," Ron replied quickly. He sighed, no longer angry but still upset about things. It wasn't that he and Hermione never fought, they always had, ever since their days at Hogwarts. However, she'd always been honest with him. He hated the feeling settling in the pit of his stomach, the sense that he and Hermione were starting to fall apart as a couple. The worst part was he wasn't even sure why.
Hermione busied herself with a new pot, flicking her wand. Tea appeared hot and ready to drink. Her hair was messier than usual; it seemed to have frizzled during the fight. She poured it into mismatched mugs, walking over and handing one to Ron. He noticed that her hands were still shaking slightly.
"Has he really changed?" Ron asked bluntly, not meeting her eyes.
Hermione bit her lip and simply nodded, not trusting herself to speak. He had changed, but not in the way she knew Ron meant. Ron sighed and looked down into his tea.
"I bet he was a complete jerk, wasn't he?" Ron remarked. Hermione set down her mug with a thump on the table, Harry's face as he insisted that he'd told them that he was going to leave still fresh in her mind.
Hermione groaned. "Ron, I really don't want to talk about him anymore today." She gave him her no more nonsense look.
"Oh, come on, Hermione. He clearly said something that is really bothering you." Ron stared at her penetratingly, his arms crossed.
"It's nothing, Ron," she insisted. She looked down into her teacup, absentmindedly stirring the caramel-colored liquid with her spoon.
"Did he kiss you!?!" Ron shouted suddenly, his eyes widening at the thought and his ears reddening. Hermione frowned as she felt her cheeks involuntarily stain pink.
"No, Ron. Stop acting like a jealous prat. Honestly, why can't you just drop this? Maybe you should go," she complained.
"Hermione, please don't be mad. I just want to know because I love you so much. I hate to see you so hurt. I guess I am still hurt myself. Harry was my best mate you know," Ron explained, his features softening.
Hermione sighed, looking up at him sadly, feeling a little guilty for her rudeness towards him.
"Well, if you must know, he told me that he told us that he was going to leave, which is clearly a lie. He was so insistent about it though. I was taken aback. I don't know what to believe. All I know is he never came to see me, unless someone put a memory spell on me in my sleep," she relayed slowly.
"Oh, that's odd," was all Ron said in response. Hermione looked up him, thrown by his behavior. "You wouldn't leave me alone until I told you, and that's all you have to say?" she exclaimed, not really angry, but rather confused by his mild response.
Ron looked around uncomfortably. Hermione eyed him warily. There was something going on with him. His reaction bothered her, and she couldn't put her finger on why.
"Yeah well, it makes sense that he'd make up something like that," Ron finally said. He nervously fiddled with his teaspoon.
"You know what, Ron, no offense but I really want to be alone now," she told him, not in the mood to deal with him anymore.
"Sure, Hermione. No problem. I'll come see you tomorrow. Love you," he replied. He kissed her on the check. He stopped for a moment on his way to the door and looked at her sadly.
"Hermione…" he began sadly. She looked up gloomily, probably expecting him to ask her more about Harry.
"What, Ron?" she replied irritably.
"Ah, never mind," he said, slowly opening the front door and closing it quietly behind him.
Hermione watched him leave, a sick feeling settling in her stomach. This whole day needed to be over. As much as she didn't believe him, she couldn't forget the look on Harry's face as he'd told her that he had warned her that he was going. She buried her head in her folded arms as she slumped forward on the table. And on top of it all, there was Ron, acting jealous, overly protective, and then completely mental…ugh boys.
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