Title: Somewhere In Between - Chapter Four
Author: Lena

Pairing: Ron/Harry, past implied Ron/Hermione
Rating: PG

Warnings: Past character death

Summary: POST-WAR: 05. The boys are living together and one of them feels too much like "the wife."
Author’s Notes: Completed for the hprwfqf 2006 Second Wave challenge. Thank you to my beta and friend Lorien_Eve.

Chapter Four

“Get your lazy arse off that sofa!!”

Ron opened his eyes, and saw his sister’s angry red face two inches from his own. Seamus was a close second behind her. The television was blaring, and he had chocolate bar wrappers all over himself. He groaned with the realization that he had missed his gym appointment with Seamus.

“Sorry.”

“Sorry doesn’t cut it. This is ridiculous, Ron!”

“I said, I was sorry!”

“Not good enough.”

“What?” Ron brushed the chocolate wrappers off himself, and with a grunt, got off the sofa.

“Come on, let’s go,” said Seamus.

Ron followed Seamus out the door, while Ginny tapped her foot on the floor. The moment they left, she owled Harry.

*****

“But he seems happier,” said Harry.

“You don’t realize it, do you?”

“I guess not. What am I missing?”

“Oh, Harry,” whispered Ginny. “He’s never gotten over Hermione.”

“What? But…Hermione? It‘s been two years.”

“So? Don’t you ever think of her?”

Harry looked angrily at her. “Of course, I do! But I’ve gone on with life, haven’t I? What am I supposed to do? Don’t you think I feel guilty about everything?” he shrieked.

Ginny touched his arm. “Harry…I didn’t mean to upset you. Ron is a strange bird. He always has been. He’s deeper than people realize. Hell, he’s deeper than he realizes himself.”

“But, it’s not that he loved her more than me!“ Harry didn’t mean for it to come out like that, and hated himself for saying it.

“Does it matter who loved who? Who still loves who? He’s yours, Harry. He’ll never leave you.”

“I didn’t mean to say that. I know if she had lived, he couldn’t have made a choice.”

“I know. Look, we have to help him. He was busy for a long time. So busy, he tried not to notice, and now…well…he can’t be bothered with anything. You getting the boys together was a start, and you being there for him was the next step, and me coming over and screaming at him helps, I guess, but he’s got to accept things.”

Harry sat down on the sofa. He leaned forward and put his face in his hands. Ginny sat next to him and patted his arm.

Harry lifted his head and looked at her. “What do we do?”

“Well, I think he needs to talk to Hermione’s parents. To see that they don’t blame him. I’ll arrange it if you like?”

“No, I should.”

Ginny nodded in agreement.

*****

Ron walked up the driveway of the Granger’s home in their typical Muggle neighborhood. He looked at flowers blossoming in a tree in front of a huge picture window.

He didn’t understand why Harry had wanted him to talk to the Grangers. He had no desire to talk to Hermione’s parents. He only finally agreed after his sister stood behind Harry with that flushed face she got right before she started screaming.

And the family thought Ron was turning into his mother. Well, Ron knew for all the temper he had, and had been yelling at poor Harry of late, it was Ginny who had the Prewett personality.

Ron sighed as he got to the door.

The front door opened, and Hermione’s mother was standing in the doorway. She must have seen him coming.

She smiled, “Come in, Ronald.”

Ron walked in, and saw Hermione’s father sitting on the sofa. Dr. Granger showed Ron to a chair. “Please, sit down,” she said.

“Harry told us that you’ve had problems dealing with Hermione’s death.”

Ron’s breath caught, not realizing they would start immediately on the subject. Ron shrugged and looked away. “I miss her. We all do, but I’m okay.”

Hermione’s mother smiled. “Well, her father and I have been talking, and we’d like to give you Crookshanks.”

“Crookshanks?”

“Yes, he misses her, too and has been very unhappy here. We don’t know anything about magical animals, and Crookshanks needs to live with someone who can understand him.”

“But…but…I…” Part of Ron wanted to take Crookshanks because he was Hermione’s, but he never had a good relationship with the cat, so he was concerned. “Would he want to leave here?”

“I think so. Why don’t you try it for a month, and see how it goes.”

Ron hesitate, but then said, “Well, all right.”

Hermione’s mother smiled. “You know, Hermione did what she wanted. Even as a little girl, we couldn’t stop her once she had her mind set on something.”

“I know,” Ron said in a small voice.

“So, you must know that even though we miss her, we know she did what she knew she needed to do. Nobody would’ve talked her out of it.”

Ron was silent.

“Ronald?”

“Yes.”

“We don’t blame you or Harry.”

Ron clenched his fists.

“Don’t blame yourself. She wouldn’t want that.”

Ron unclenched his fists, and turned to the sound of a meow. Crookshanks stood at the door of the kitchen, swishing his tail and softly meowing.

Ron said softly, “I know. It’s just…I…I…” He couldn’t continue.

Crookshanks walked across the room and rubbed against Ron’s leg, before sitting at his feet.

“It’s just…I loved her,” he whispered.

*****

Ron sat on the sofa, eating chocolates and watching the telly.

“meowmeowmeowmeowmeow.”

“Crookshanks, I can’t hear the telly.”

“meowmeowmeowmeowmeow!”

There was a bag of cat treats at the end of sofa, and Ron threw it towards Crookshanks.

He sniffed at it, then leaned back on his haunches.

“meowmeowmeowmeowmeow!”

“I’m watching the telly. I know I supposed to met Seamus.”

“meowmeowmeowmeowmeow!”

“Okay, okay. Yeah…” Ron looked distractedly at the telly, stuffing another chocolate in his mouth.

Crookshanks jumped on the sofa and sat next to Ron.

“meowmeowmeowmeowmeowmeowmeowmeowmeowmeow!!!”

“BLOODY HELL, HERMIONE!” Ron froze. He turned and stared at Crookshanks. Crookshanks twitched his whiskers and put his paws on Ron’s thigh. They were nose to nose.

“I’ll get up.” Ron whispered. Ron pushed Crookshanks’ paws off him and got up quickly. He ran into the bedroom to change his clothes. Crookshanks laid on the sofa, and stared at the telly. His tail moved slowly and deliberate in a self-satisfied kind of way.

*****

“Harry, do you think…”

“What?’

“Nothing…”

“What is it?”

“I just…” Ron looked down at Crookshanks, who was purring and walking slowly in and out of Ron legs. “Crookshanks was meowing today and I…”

Harry looked at Ron, then down at Crookshanks.

“I’m going mental, I think, but Crookshanks reminds me of Hermione.”

Harry looked back up at Ron. “Hermione?”

Ron looked at Harry and said, “Yeah. Crookshanks has turned into a bit of a nag, you know, meows at me when I’m sitting on the sofa.”

“And there’s something wrong with that?”

“Well, no…”

*****

Crookshanks sat on the top of a small bookcase that held Harry’s old, battered Hogwarts textbooks and some of Ron’s Quidditch books. He pushed at one of the books and it fell with a crash to the floor. Ron stumbled out of the bedroom. He was disheveled from taking a nap in the middle of the day.

He picked up the book and saw it was Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles. He picked it up and looked at the inside cover. It had been Hermione’s. Ron looked at Crookshanks still sitting on the bookcase.

He flipped through the book. He found a scrap of paper stuck in between two pages. He recognized Hermione’s handwriting, although it looked like she had been rushed.

Crookshanks meowed softly. Ron looked up at him. He smiled. Hermione. For all her writing six feet of parchment on the mating rituals of the doxy, she had made him feel better with so few words.

Ron grabbed his jacket.

*****

“And there’s some sort of marble, that he gets extremely upset if anyone touches…”

Ron took the paper bag. “Thanks, Dr. Granger. And thanks for giving us Crookshanks.”

“You’re welcome, Ronald. You’re happy with him, then?”

“Yes. It’s working out well.” Ron smiled.

*****

When Ron got home, he called to Crookshanks. He emptied the bag on the table. There were some ratty looking mice with the stuffing coming out, another bag of cat treats and the large marble. But it wasn’t a marble. Ron’s eyes bulged. It was a Remembrall. Ron held it and it turned scarlet.

Ron heard a *crack!*

“Blimey, Ron! Are you going to miss another appointment?”

Ron put down the Remembrall at Crookshanks’ feet, and ran for the bedroom to change. “No, Seamus! Never again!”

*****

So, Ron settled somewhere between being Ron and being a housefly. He went to the gym three times a week, and never forgot. He babysat the nieces and nephews, twice a week, just because he loved them and it gave them a break from Ginny.

He went to West Ham games with Dean, and Quidditch matches with Harry. He didn’t go camping with Neville, but would take the nieces and nephews to visit various Gardens in London, with Neville as the tour guide.

Crookshanks happily lived in the flat with them, and Harry brought home take-away at least once a week.

And Harry let Ron top every once in a while.

*****

Ron heard the jiggle of the lock of the front door, and knew Harry was home. He finished brushing his hair and looked at himself in the mirror. He smiled to himself, and left the loo to meet Harry at the door. Harry opened the door, juggling the pizza in his hands. Ron reached for it, leaning into Harry, and kissed him on the cheek.

Harry looked up at Ron and smiled. “You look nice.”

“Thanks. I’m glad you’re home.” Ron kissed him again.

Ron turned with the pizza in his hands, and led the way to the kitchen. He set the carton down on the table, and opened it. Harry grabbed two plates and serviettes from the cupboard.

They sat down, and lifted a slice each onto a plate. They sat quietly, looking at each other, eating.

“Do you want a beer?” asked Ron.

“Sure,” answered Harry.

Ron got up and grabbed two beers from the icebox and set them on the table. Harry twisted the cap off and took a drink. Ron soon did the same.

“It should always be like this.”

“Like this?”

“Yeah, Harry. Sitting here with you, eating dinner, being quiet…just being with you.”

Harry smiled at him. “It’s good being with you. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

“Me neither.”

Harry leaned over and grabbed Ron’s collar. He noticed there was no apron tonight. He looked at Ron intently.

“What is it, Harry?” Ron leaned closer to Harry. Their lips nearly touched.

“Nothing. Just looking at you. Your hair, your nose, your freckles, your eyes, your lips…”

“What’s wrong with them?”

“Nothing. You’re so handsome.”

“No-”

“Yes, you are. You don’t even realize how much my heart leaps when I see you.”

“Harry…”

“I know, I sound sappy. I sound like a lovesick bird. And I don’t care.” Harry closed the space between them, and kissed Ron on the lips. Not hard and passionate, that would be for later, but warm and loving.

Crookshanks sat in the corner of the kitchen, twitching his whiskers and swishing his tale in a very smug way, batting the Remembrall between his paws.

END