Disclaimer: JKR owns.
A Late Night Visit
Chapter 7: Christmas Eve Confession
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Thanks everyone for the support! See how you like new ficlet My Countenance. It's definitely different from this one :]
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"Hey Ron," Harry greeted, coming into Mr. Weasley's shed where Ron had been chosen to put the fishing poles and muggle supplies away after dinner.
Once Harry made his decision, he had another four hours to sit up in Ron's room, trying to figure out how in the world he would approach Ron with the conversation. He went through several scenarios before he finally got fed up with all the planning. It only made him more nervous and hesitant about telling. Harry figured the best way to go about it would be to just tell him. He knew there was no way to predict how Ron would react anyway.
"Oh, hey Harry," Ron said back, looking up from where he was trying to untangle the lines on the poles. By the tone of his voice, Ron seemed a little disappointed that it was Harry interrupting him.
"Expecting someone else?" Harry tried to joke.
"Dad or Bill or Charlie, or bloody someone who knows where this shit goes. Honestly, I don't know how I got picked for this- the last time I was in here was when I was like thirteen…" Ron moaned, now shaking the poles as if that would make things better.
Harry had to laugh, "Unfortunately they've all gone off to bed."
"I guess they won't mind if this waits until morning then, or did you come out to help me? Ah, bless you-" Ron chided, giving Harry an adoring oh-you-shouldn't-have look.
This time, Harry's smile was forced. The panic and surrealism began weighing down on him again. It was a possibility that he and Ron would never be able to joke like this again after tonight. Taking a deep breath, Harry silently said another prayer to an unknown god, hoping that Ron would be able to put his jealous insecurities behind him for this one night. Was a little Christmas miracle of understanding too much to ask for?
"No, I was actually wondering if we could talk?" Harry finally admitted. He was surprised to find a large part of him actually wanted to just tell him already.
Ron nodded and dropped the poles carelessly on the ground, "Yeah, let's go into the house though, it's bloody freezing in here…"
He grabbed the box of tackle and hid it behind a larger box of muggle machine parts. Ron began rubbing his hands together for warmth as Harry led the way out of the shed and up the path towards the kitchen door. The snow had started falling harder and the wind had picked up, so the boys struggled up the hill until they finally got through the back door.
"It's colder than cake outside," Ron chattered, pulling the door closed with shaking, blue hands. Both boys were thankful from the instant warmth the kitchen provided.
There was a laugh from the other side of the room. Ron and Harry turned to see Ginny sitting at the end of the kitchen table, hunched over a piece of parchment.
"Good analogy, Ron," Ginny smirked.
Ron gave her a reproachful look and smiled sarcastically, "Thanks. Now clear off, Ginny."
"Why? Since when have you ever been bashful about your eating habits?" Ginny provoked again, with a raised eyebrow. Harry stood awkwardly behind Ron. He hoped Ginny would leave them alone soon.
"Harry and I are having a private talk, that's why. Now scram."
Ginny looked behind Ron to Harry. Their eyes met for a fleeting moment before Ginny gathered up her parchment and left without another word.
Ron rolled his eyes, "Oh okay, so she leaves when I mention you're name. Hmm, I think she's still got it in for you," he teased as he walked over to the covered tray of brownies Mrs. Weasley had made for desert.
Harry wanted to close his eyes and slam his head against the wall. When was he going to stop with all that? Instead, he simply sighed and again tried to dissuade him, "No she doesn't Ron…"
Ron let out a throaty laugh even though he had a chunk of brownie in his mouth, "You say that now, but maybe in a few months-"
"Ron, we're not here to talk about Ginny," Harry said sternly.
Ron swallowed and gave him a baiting look, "Who are we here to talk about then?"
"Hermione," Harry answered in a softer tone. Saying her name sent a wave of butterflies through his stomach. He embarrassedly ignored them.
"Hermione? Why?" Ron paused, giving Harry a strange look. A new glint appeared in his eyes; hopeful. Harry sighed, having a dark feeling that Ron was already getting the wrong impression, "Has she said anything to you about me?"
"Umm, no…"
But Ron went on, "Like, does she wish she didn't break up with me and she sent you here to see if I still liked her?"
"Ron, no-"
"Because, I mean, I do-"
"Ron, this isn't about you and Hermione, this is about me and Hermione!" Harry practically yelled. Well that got the his attention. Harry stood their vulnerably, under the intense, confused scrutiny that was already starting to take shape on Ron's face.
He cocked his head to the side and repeated, "You and Hermione?"
Harry sighed, "Yes."
"What do you mean?"
"Look, I'm sorry mate. We never wanted to hurt you-" Harry started to explain.
"You're with her?" Ron interrupted, with a new expression adorning his features, "Like dating her?"
Harry swallowed calmly. He recognized Ron's new look as growing fury, and it was something he would never forget seeing directed solely at him. Nevertheless, Harry wasn't intimidated. The worst part was over with, and now he had to finish what he started, "Yes. Since October."
"Is that why she broke up with me? To finally be with you?" Ron asked trembling, the accusatory tone evident in his voice.
"No, it's not like that-"
"I'm sure it must have been," Ron scoffed malignantly, "Harry Potter expressing feelings for my bloody girlfriend. Of course she'd rather be with you!"
"We didn't get together until Halloween. You're being unfair," Harry tried to reason but Ron shook his head. His face was blood red.
"I'm being unfair? Do you have any idea what you're fucking saying to me? What you've done?! Unfair is stealing your best mate's girl. Unfair is keeping a secret from me for a month!"
Harry stood still, almost statue-like as Ron clawed at Harry's heart, "Like I said, we didn't want to hurt you."
"Not having an affair with her would be not hurting me!" Ron roared.
Harry shook his head, not willing to meet Ron's eyes anymore. Even though he knew he deserved this, Harry was still trying really hard not to get angry at his friend's brashness, "I love her, Ron. I'm sorry, okay? I know this isn't what you want to hear, but she loves me too. And whether you're okay with us or not, that's not going to change."
"How could you do this to me? How could you do this to my sister?!"
Anger was now beginning to seep through his tranquil mental barricades, "Ron, you don't own her! She was bound to get with someone sooner or later… and Ginny- she already knows! She supports us."
"Un-fucking-believable…" Ron muttered, turning to face the kitchen cabinets. Harry could see his clenched fists shaking. Defensively, his fists balled up too. He never wanted this to turn out physical, but if that's what Ron intended than Harry would defend himself.
"Ron, are you pissed because we went behind your back or because you still have real, honest feelings for her?" Harry asked, breaking the silence.
Ron avoided the question by whirling around and pointing a finger at him, "You just couldn't keep your bloody hands to yourself, could you?"
"Mate-"
"I'm not your mate anymore! As a matter of fact, I want you to leave."
Harry froze, shocked by what Ron had just said. Ron wanted him to leave- to actually pack his things and get out of the Burrow, in the middle of a storm, with no where else to go. A voice in his head told him he should have expected this, but it was still appalling to hear Ron's banishment coming straight from his mouth.
"Go!" Ron screamed threateningly with a savage look in his eyes.
"Fine," Harry replied. It wasn't obstinate, or subordinate. His tone was relenting, unwilling to do any more damage to their severed friendship.
With Ron still glaring at him, Harry turned and made his way for the stairs, about to pack the life he had at the Burrow into the cold confines of a trunk.
…
Harry heard a door slam downstairs as soon as he reached Ron's room. He assumed it was his ex-best friend who slammed the door and left outside into the blizzarding night. Hopefully he was trying to cool down as opposed to getting more fired up about everything…
Quickly, Harry grabbed what few possessions he had lying around the room and stuffed it into his trunk. With a flick of his wand, he shrunk the trunk and his bed. He set the bed atop Ron's dresser and shoved his trunk into his pocket.
Sparing one last glance around the tiny mess of a room, Harry left, sincerely hoping that this wouldn't be the last he saw of the place. He was quietly walking down the stairs and pulling his last arm through his jacket when Ginny appeared on the landing, having just came from the bathroom.
"How'd it- Are you going somewhere?" she reframed her question after observing Harry's appearance.
"Yeah," he answered, zipping up his jacket.
"I take it your talk didn't go well?" she guessed sadly. Ginny had muttered a quick silencio after she left the kitchen, just in case her brother handled the revelation much worse than civilly.
Harry shook his head, biting the inside of his cheek, "Ron told me to leave. Now I don't have a girlfriend or a best mate."
"That's not true. You did the right thing, Harry. Ron will get over it and I'm sure Hermione will be happy…" Ginny tried to encourage him. She wanted to reach out and pat his shoulder or something, but she felt that he wouldn't really appreciate it. One thing was for sure- when Harry Potter wanted to brood, that's exactly what he did. Only one girl could lift his spirits in times like these, and that girl definitely wasn't Ginny.
Harry shrugged indifferently, "I guess. Will you tell your parents in the morning that I left?"
"You don't have to go. It is Christmas Eve, you can just sleep in Fred and George's old room…" Ginny still tried.
"No, I'm going to go. I'll be fine, I'll get a room at the Leaky Cauldron or something."
Ginny sighed. Harry truly look devastated. If only her prat of a brother could see past his own selfish desires, then he would have been able to see the obvious love that Harry carried for Hermione. Why the hell did he have to take after their mother so much?
"Okay. Happy Christmas then, Harry," Ginny consented. There was no point keeping him here against his will. And because of Ron being spiteful, Harry would probably never feel welcome at the Burrow again.
"You too," he mumbled half-heartedly.
Harry finished walking down the stairs, and silently manoeuvred his way through the living room and kitchen. As soon as the kitchen door shut soundly behind him, he apparated.
…
Back inside, Ginny had quickly tip-toed to her room and settled down at her rickety desk. She pulled the piece of parchment, that was intended to be a letter for someone else, towards her and started writing.
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Hermione woke from her restless sleep in the middle of the night, to an incessant pecking at her bedroom window. Groaning in annoyance, she rolled over and sat up from the bed. As she walked towards her window, the small, twitchy frame of a bird made it obvious that it was Ron's owl, Pig.
Blearily and confused, she unlatched the window and opened it enough for the owl to get the idea that it was alright to come in. As she took the letter, the question of why Ron had to send her a letter so late at night, on Christmas Eve no less, invaded her mind. A little more hurriedly, she went into her bathroom and gave Pig a Dixie cup full of water before going back to her bed.
Finally getting a good look at the letter, Hermione realized the penmanship of her name was much too legible for it to be from Ron, or Harry, for that matter. It must have been from Ginny.
She tore it open, still wondering what was so important that she had to send Pig through a snow storm to get in touch with her.
Dear Hermione,
I don't know if Harry-
As soon as Hermione read his name, her eyes furrowed and she read more quickly,
would have been in contact with you by now or not, but I thought I should write just in case. He left the Burrow a few hours ago- or more so he was kicked out. I guess he told Ron that you two were together and he freaked. Long story short, Harry said he'd be heading for the Leaky Cauldron to get a room for the rest of break. I thought you should know because he'll be alone for Christmas tomorrow. He seemed pretty upset when he left. I think you'll know what to do better than anyone.
Happy Christmas,
Ginny
Hermione was so shocked that she had to reread the letter twice. Harry told Ron? And Ron reacted by kicking him out of the Burrow on the night before Christmas?
Hermione felt terribly responsible for what had happened. If she had just kept her mouth shut and didn't pressure Harry into telling, then he wouldn't be spending Christmas by himself.
While a part of her felt guilty, another part of her felt happy enough to sing. He had told Ron! That meant he really did want to be with her. Now they could finally be a real couple…
"I have to do something…" Hermione muttered to herself, still staring down at the letter. Pig hooted from the corner and that was enough for Hermione. She tossed the letter aside and hoped up from her bed, heading straight for her closet to dig up some warm clothes to wear.
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Big chapter next time- please REVIEW!