Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns everything Harry Potter related.
[AN]: Sorry that it took awhile for this chapter to be uploaded. I hate how school is now getting in the way of all the things I really want to do. I hope this makes up for the time lost here. Review please!
Chapter Ten: Ron's Catching Up
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Ginny had woken up right after Ron had finished the food that Molly made for him. She was really surprised to him yet Ron was already worried about her that she fell down the stairs twice. Arthur and Molly looked at each other and decided to explain first what was happening with them.
"So, how's it been without me? You never sent a letter or anything," Ron said, fidgeting with his hands at the table.
"We were waiting for you to write a letter, sweetheart," Molly said with a concerned look.
"Well how should I know. I thought you were wondering where I went."
"Charlie told me that you were working along with him," Ginny said and Arthur looked at his son curiously.
"You were working with Charlie? Up in Romania? Doing what exactly?"
"You know what Charlie does, Dad. He gave me pointers on dragons and people would come into the shop asking how to take care of them and everything. I found it a good opportunity and I raised a good amount of money for myself."
Molly and Arthur looked at each other and then back at Ron.
"I swear that's what I've been doing. Even Ginny said it herself. Charlie knows what I've been doing. He's the one who was looking after me up there. I bought a small flat there as well and I met some great friends," he said ending it with a smile, thinking about Andrew and Lacey.
"Are you happy up there?" Molly asked with a full of concern.
Ron nodded with a huge smile. "Of course I am, Mum. I enjoy living up there."
Ginny opened up a small bottle of Firewhiskey underneath the table, away from everyone's view, and Molly heard the faint pop of a cap.
"Ginevra Molly Weasley, give me that bottle now," she demanded and Ginny shrugged, putting the cap back on.
Molly had her hand extended out and Ginny placed the Firewhiskey in her hand. Ron looked at Ginny and gave her a look that said `What do you need that for?'
Molly sighed heavily and Arthur nodded.
"We have a few things we need to tell you ourselves while you've been gone," Arthur said as he looked at his wife to finish off what he at least started.
"You see, Gin-"
"No, Mum, let me explain it," Ginny cut in and Ron looked over at her.
"I have a drinking problem. Why you might ask? Because the person I was about to marry just dumped me for the most stupid reason in the world!"
"And that reason was?"
Ginny furiously crossed her arms across her chest and slumped down in her chair.
"He left me because he thought I was cheating on him when I wasn't. He thought I always left him to go to someone else's house and just have a good time without him. Lousy bitch he was to do that to me. Then the next day everyone showed up and we told them to go back home. The wedding was off, everything was sent back."
Ron looked at his sister with sympathy. He never knew that she would have a drinking problem after all that happening, but he slightly understood why she was doing that.
"Who knows where that bloke is now," Ginny continued and shook her head, anger raging up inside of her.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you or anything," Ron said and looked over at his parents.
"It's alright, Ron," Molly said and patted his hand from across the table. "We came through it and we're still managing with it."
Ginny and Molly exchanged looks and Ron felt bad for all of them. Ginny has a drinking problem and his parents are trying to help her out after what happened. He wished he was there when all of this something because he would've said a few good words to that man's direction. No doubt about that.
"Have you talked to Hermione personally yet?" Ginny then brought up and he nodded with a smile on his face.
"Yeah I did. She brought Harry along as well."
Molly nodded at that and a smile of her own came about.
"It was nice to see him again. He doesn't know though what Hermione had to go through without him here. I hope they're alright with each other now."
"Of course they are, Ron. You know how those two are anyways," Ginny said and he nodded to that.
"True, they do make up their minds easily between them, which reminds me that I'll be visiting them soon. They invited me over to catch up on things."
"Well get going then. I know how much they mean to you," Molly said standing up from her chair.
Ron stood up and Molly quickly went over to him and embraced him into one of her famous Weasley hugs. He hugged her back and felt that everything here was going to be alright now hopefully.
"Caught up in the moment?" Ginny said and Arthur threw her a look.
"Upstairs," he said firmly and Ginny rolled her eyes, getting up from her chair, and started going up the second floor of the house.
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Hermione leaned against the wall listening to her voice messages at work. So far there was none from Paula yet and Paula was at her lunch break at the moment. She sighed heavily and heard the beeping noise to the answering machine go off.
"Paula, it's me, Hermione, I was wondering if you heard from Louis if he decided on when I was going to be leaving for Chicago to open up the bookstore there and settle everything down. Call me back when you have a chance," she said and hung up the phone, placing it on the charger.
She felt a pair of arms immediately encircle her and felt a soft kiss being planted on her neck.
"Oh Harry," she said with her eyes closed and he smiled.
He pulled her against him and held her there in his arms. All of a sudden, Hermione yelped and was thrown over Harry's shoulder.
"Harry, put me down!" she said slightly laughing and he walked over into her living room.
"You're too sexy to put down," he said and she rolled her eyes.
"How romantic you are."
Harry sat her on the couch and he immediately towered over her, still standing.
"Have a nice go before Ron gets here?" Harry asked and Hermione swatted his arm.
"What is it with you and me having sex?"
"Rather kinky if you ask me."
Hermione swatted his arm again and he laughed.
"I'm a guy, Hermione. We're suppose to adore the ones we love."
"Who doesn't adore you?" she asked with a smirk and he sat down next to her.
"Oh think you can make comebacks now?"
Hermione giggled and Harry crawled on top of her. She got pushed down gently and she just looked up into the face she loved. Who wouldn't want to wake up to those beautiful emerald orbs in the morning? Harry leaned his forehead onto hers and he captured her lips. Hermione already had her hands sneaking underneath his shirt near the hem and Harry already had her shirt halfway up.
"You burn me up inside, darling," Harry whispered away from their broken kiss and she pulled his head down for another forceful kiss.
"Like you don't do the same," she said and both of them smiled about it.
Harry started to kiss her neck and Hermione closed her eyes as her fingers got tangled up in his hair. She moved her head over so he could get more access to it until the doorbell rang in the front.
"I thought you didn't give him your address," he whispered huskily in her ear.
"Probably - Molly did," she said gasping and Hermione gave him one last kiss.
Both of them got off the couch and fixed themselves up a bit. Hermione quickly went over to the door and opened it up finding Ron standing there a smile on his face.
"Hey there, Hermione," he said coming in and greeting her with a friendly kiss on the cheek.
"Hey Ron," Harry said and gave him a brotherly hug.
Ron took off his coat and looked at Hermione awkwardly. Harry noticed this too and wondered what in the world Ron was looking at.
"You've been having some playtime, Hermione?" Ron asked with a smirk upon his face.
"What are you talking about?" she asked, taking his coat and hanging it up.
He tapped his neck and she touched her own. Harry widened his eyes and wanted to murder himself for giving her a hickey. Hermione looked over at Harry and he bit his bottom lip really hard trying to let her know what he did to her. She looked at him curiously and her own eyes widened a little.
"Oh," she said and slightly blushed.
Ron laughed and he followed Harry into the kitchen.
"Some lucky bloke he is, Hermione. What's his name?" Ron asked as he sat down on one of the stools in the kitchen.
She really didn't know how to answer that and she didn't know if it was alright with Harry either. "I - I … It's a surprise," she said stuttering.
"What is he some celebrity or something?"
"How about we switch the topic around?" Harry asked nervously and Hermione nodded.
"Yeah let's do that. You'll figure it out eventually, Ron."
"So how's the life been up there in Romania Hermione tells me," Harry began and Ron nodded with a huge smile on his face.
"Aw, Harry, it's completely amazing up there. The people up there are fantastic, the job is well-earning, and I even got myself a small flat up there I'm sharing with."
"Hope the people aren't that disrespectful," Hermione said sitting down next to him.
"They're actually a few friends of mine and I'd like to say I'm dating one of them."
Harry and Hermione exchanged disgusted looks and were thinking that Ron probably did lose his mind up there.
"T-That's nice, Ron. I mean, I didn't know you were like that all of a sudden."
Ron looked at Harry oddly. "What do you mean? That I'm dating a girl?"
"We - never mind," Hermione said and Harry already read her thoughts. He tried not to laugh it out or show it at least.
"You have a girlfriend, Ron?" Harry asked completely surprised yet he had a stupid smile on his face.
"Of course I do, mate. Her name is Lacey Davins and she isn't your natural blonde. She's actually a pretty smart one."
Hermione looked at Ron with her mouth slightly open and sat back.
"Hermione, are you alright?" Ron asked her from across the table.
Harry looked over at Hermione with concern and all she did was smile.
"You said Lacey Davins?"
Ron simply nodded.
"Yeah, why?"
"Has she ever told you she's a model down in Paris and she used to be my neighbor?"
Ron's mouth immediately dropped down and so did Harry's.
"Y-You're dating a model?" Harry said and felt his mouth go dry.
"Bloody hell," he said with the biggest grin in all of the U.K. "She never told me that."
"I can't believe she moved all the way up in Romania."
"When did she move away from you?" Ron asked curiously, still with that stupid grin on his face.
"About the time when I got my Hogwarts letter. My mother told me they were moving for health reasons. They couldn't take the horrible weather."
"When did she become a model?"
"I noticed her down in Paris when I went there for one of my vacations. She was listed in a fashion show and all I can say is she can pull any look off."
"You're one lucky bloke all right," Harry said grinning over at Ron. "I mean, Hermio-oof," Hermione immediately hit him really hard and Ron looked between the two of them.
"Hermione what, Harry?"
She covered her eyes and sighed heavily. "Nothing, Ron."
"Tell me! I know I eventually have to ask you two how your lives have been, too."
Harry and Hermione exchanged, once again, looks at each other and she shook her head while he nodded.
"Ron," Hermione began, "the one who gave me this hickey was …," she mumbled the name and he didn't quite catch it.
"Wait, who? I didn't hear you."
She said it again and Harry rolled his eyes.
"Bloody hell, it's me, Ron," Harry said and Ron widened his eyes at the two of them.
"You mean … you're snogging her?"
Harry nodded looking away from Ron and sighed heavily. Hermione was looking at the ground and didn't even want to see his reaction.
"That's … That's pretty amazing," he said laughing and that made both Harry and Hermione's head jolt up.
"What?" they both said in unison.
"I'm actually kind of happy that you guys … well you know … found out about yourselves in a good way that made you realize there was something."
Hermione smiled at Ron's reply. "Why, why thank you, Ron."
"So you're not going to freak out or anything if I kiss her?"
"Well, I don't know about that, but I guess it's going to be something to get used to. Does Mum and Dad know?"
Both of them shook their heads and Ron nodded.
"Figured or else they would've told me or should I say Ginny would've."
"Did Molly tell you about her drinking problem?" Hermione asked.
Ron sadly nodded and an enormous sigh came out of him.
"I wish I was there to help them with that. I feel bad not being there. I feel bad for even leaving you behind, Hermione. I know how badly you were stressing over Harry."
"Wait - you were stressing over me?" Harry asked and she nodded.
"I told you, Harry, you gave me quite a rocker in my life."
"Yeah, mate, I swear. I would be over here at the house faster than you'd know it when she was breaking down. Sometimes I would've stayed over night or even a week or something just in case she was alright. Plus I even called in on her work to keep an extra eye upon her."
"But now you really don't have to worry," she said softly towards him. "I'll be alright now."
Hermione smiled over at Harry and smiled back at her. Without even thinking, Harry just planted a kiss on her lips and Ron made a slight disgusted face.
"Yeah that's going to be hard getting used to."
Harry and Hermione broke away and laughed over at Ron.
"But as long as it makes you happy, Hermione, I'm fine with that."
"Oh it does," she said nodding and Harry laughed at her.
Coming up in Chapter Eleven:
"Are you going to stay with her there?" Ron asked softly as he watched Hermione sleeping on the couch.
Harry nodded and walked over to her, bending down to his knees just to look at her precious face he adored.
"I'll be staying in Chicago with her."
"Do you know for how long?"
"As long as it takes for her to finish what she started."
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