Chapter Three: Ron’s Inner Lion
Harry snapped on his lights and ran into the girls’ room.
“Ron and Hermione are missing,” he yelled at Ginny as he ran down the stairs, skipping steps as he went. As he neared the garden, he could see two dementors circling his friends. Harry could tell they were both weakened by the effect of the dementors and needed help. He heard Hermione try to conjure a Patronus, but she failed. He raised his wand but someone else spoke.
Ron watched Hermione fail to make a Patronus and thrust out his own wand. He concentrated on what had just happened, his first kiss with Hermione.
“EXPECTO PATRONUM!” he yelled.
A little mist came out of his wand. He saw Harry running across the lawn towards them, wand also raised.
“EXPECTO…EXPECTO PATRONUM!” he yelled again thinking about his happy moment intently. A figure was protruding out of his wand. First the head…then the body… a lion raised its paws and chased the two dementors away. Hermione collapsed into his arms.
“Ron,” yelled Harry as he drew nearer to him and Hermione. Harry slapped Ron on the back and approved. “Good job mate…lion…real nice!” Ron was positively beaming with happiness.
Ginny walked up behind them and asked in a confused voice, “Ummm… what were you lot doing out here, and why are you all wet?”
Hermione blushed deep scarlet and Ron grinned sheepishly as another drop of water ran across his shining face. Ginny smiled at the two and Harry stood there with a confused expression.
Hermione rolled her eyes and groaned. “Oh, come on…”
All four teens laughed until they realized the seriousness of the matter.
“Harry, we’ve got to get out of here!” exclaimed Ginny, “Somebody is out to get you!”
Harry sat down and thought for a moment.
Hermione finally spoke, “I'm not so sure that was the plan.”
The other three stared at her with bewildered looks.
“Why would Voldemort send dementors when he knows Harry can conjure a Patronus?” She asked quietly.
“Unless there’s someone else…” Harry trailed off.
They all looked around the yard nervously. Thump…Thump…Thump…The ground vibrated, and tension filled the air.
"Troll!" Hermione mouthed in horror to her friends. The trees rustled near them.
“Disapparate to headquarters okay?” whispered Harry. Two pops followed his words.
“Hang on Ginny,” he called, “I'll take you in a moment.”
Harry stared between the trees as he instructed Ginny on how to Disapparate with him.
“Hang on tightly to my arm. Whatever you do, don't let go!" he yelled over the sound of the thump of the giant’s feet.
Ginny nodded her understanding and grabbed hold of his arm. Harry concentrated hard on number twelve, Grimmauld Place and made sure Ginny was holding tightly enough on to him, and with a pop they both appeared at headquarters.
Ginny was still next to him. She let go and put her hands on her ears. Harry laughed a little.
“The sensation takes a while to get used to,” he said smiling.
Ginny nodded in agreement. “What just happened?” she asked with a concerned look on her face.
Harry shrugged, not really sure of the incident himself.
Suddenly, they heard yelling directed at them about blood traitors and mudblood lovers. Harry rolled his eyes and started shutting the curtain of Mrs. Black’s portrait. Ginny helped and they finally got it closed. Harry walked into the living room, staring at the messy house that he hadn’t been in for almost a year.
Too many memories…
Ginny sat on the couch beside him. “Do you miss him?” she asked, feeling that it was a good time to talk about Sirius. Harry looked at the floor; he hated this subject.
“Yeah…yeah I do…” he said quietly, “I miss him a lot, and it’s my fault he died,” he finished, standing up and walking out of the room.
Ginny sighed and went after him to the kitchen. She took his hand in hers and waited until he glanced at her.
“Harry, it’s not your fault,” she whispered. Harry looked up at her with big, sad, green eyes.
“Yes it is,” he replied with a hint of self-hatred in his voice. “he was the closest thing I had to family and I killed him.” Ginny gripped his hand harder.
“How can you talk this way?” she scolded. “What would Sirius say if he heard you talking like this?”
“He’d say, you killed me. I thought you loved me.”
Ginny shook her head, fighting back tears and faltered. “Harry he’d say finish him for me. Sirius would say thank you for rescuing me. He would pat your back and tell you how much like James you are, and here you are talking like this? It wasn’t your fault, if it was anyone’s fault it was either Snape’s or Lestrange’s.”
“Sorry…I just can't help but think--I mean--my parents, Cedric, Sirius, Dumbledore--maybe even you,” he whispered as he looked deeper into her ocean-blue eyes.
“Don't worry, you won’t have to add me to that list,” she said quietly.
“This was a reason we can't be together. Now do you see how hard it is for me? Anyone close to me is in danger, Ginny, including you.”
Harry walked into the living room again and lay down on the couch.
Is this my escape, running away all the time?
Ginny followed and lay next to him, putting her head on his chest. Harry didn’t force himself to move away this time.
“I can hear your heart,” Ginny stated, obviously.
Harry didn’t respond, and focused his eyes on a spot on the ceiling.
“It says I miss my parents, and Sirius, and Dumbledore,” she said slowly. “And it’s not my fault they are no longer with me.”
Harry snorted at this remark but didn’t look at her.
“And it says I love Ginny Weasley,” she finished smiling. “Harry, you can fool everyone else, and you can fool yourself, but you can't fool your heart.”
Harry looked at her with a blank expression. Ginny laughed at how dumb she had just sounded.
“You know what my heart says, Harry?” she asked desperately.
Harry shook his head, now intrigued with what she was saying.
“It says please don't break me,” Ginny whispered in his ear. “Please don't break my heart again.”
Harry thought about what she said for a moment and realized there were tears swelling up in her eyes. His heart hurt when he saw how much pain she was in. It hurt because he knew there was nothing he could do to help. He folded his arms around her and let her cry into his chest. Her tears soaked through his shirt and stabbed him painfully in the heart, but he just held her tighter hoping in some small way she would find comfort in him. He felt like crying too, but he wouldn't, he couldn't, break down, not now. Every one of her tears matched one that didn't fall from his own eyes, but he knew that a million tears wouldn't change what was or had to be done.
“Ginny,” he said softly. “Tell your heart I won’t…won’t…” he broke off, thinking about what he was saying. “I love you, Ginny,” he finally admitted to her.
Ginny was waiting for a ‘but’ somewhere in there but it didn’t come. She smiled softly and whispered, “I love you too, Harry.” Ginny and Harry fell asleep right there, until two loud pops woke them up.
Hermione and Ron arrived at headquarters just before Harry and Ginny, and walked into one of the bedrooms, looking for any members of the order that weren’t working. Everyone was on a mission now that chaos had erupted at the death of Dumbledore, and Ron was thanking God that his own family was away from his most likely now flattened house. Hermione sat on the bed for a moment to rest, and Ron placed himself beside her.
“I hope Harry’s not trying to do anything terribly heroic with that troll. It’d be a shame for him to leave Ginny behind now,” stated Hermione.
“What do you mean?” asked Ron naively.
Hermione grinned, “Ronald isn’t it obvious? They still like each other!”
Ron nodded. “You know, I saved you from a troll once…”
Hermione rolled her eyes. “Yes Ron, I remember, you mastered that charm and everything! And how brave you were!” she exclaimed sarcastically.
Ron shot her an annoyed look, and before she knew it she was laying flat on the bed laughing because Ron was tickling her.
“Ron! Stop it!” she screamed through fits of laughter.
Ron backed away. “Fine, I’ll stop,” he said as she held her stomach.
Then, at the same time, they reached for the other's sides. They both jumped and ended up on the floor because even though they jumped they each tickled the other. Hermione had pinned Ron to the floor as he laughed, begging for mercy.
"Never" Hermione giggled tickling him mercilessly but then he turned the tables on her.
"You're a dead woman," Ron again pinned her to the ground but instead of tickling her he saw her face pale and pain run through her eyes. She looked like she might cry. "Hermione!" Ron carefully helped her sit up before she spoke.
“OW!” Hermione exclaimed through clenched teeth.
Ron knew, at that moment, that he didn't hurt her on the bed because it was so soft, but the floor was hard and would've put a lot more pressure on her unhealed back. A wave of guilt washed over him and he wanted to try desperately to make her feel better.
Ron helped her back onto the bed and replied, “Sorry…maybe you should get to sleep then Hermione.”
She nodded quietly and forced on a smile. Ron lay beside her, not meaning to fall asleep, but it was so late and they had had such a night, that they fell asleep next to each other. Ron woke up an hour later to find Hermione next to him.
“She really is pretty…she’s not like Fleur, but she’s pretty in a realistic, full human kind of way…”
Ron shook Hermione softly. She woke up and gave him a quizzical look.
“Harry and Ginny!” shouted Ron, and within two seconds they had both Apparated downstairs.
Harry’s green eyes shot open and he was staring directly at Ron and Hermione. He pressed his fingers to his lips and pointed to Ginny, who was apparently still asleep, probably because she was so used to Fred and George trying to wake her up like this last summer.
Hermione gave a little shrug, and Ron looked at Ginny, tangled around Harry, and said in an almost comical way, “what…are you doing with my sister?”
Harry’s cheeks turned a deep crimson, and he answered, “err...it’s not what it looks like…we were…wait a moment…where were you?”
Ron and Hermione shot each other embarrassed looks and Harry couldn’t help but laugh. Ron and Hermione sat together in the chair across from Harry and Ginny, and talked with Harry about future plans.
“Do you honestly think we should bring Ginny?” asked Ron. “I mean, I know she’s been with us so far, but don't you think she is a bit--young?”
Harry thought about this for a long moment, and just before he spoke, Ginny exclaimed, “Harry, you have to let me go!” Harry was a bit startled from her sudden “wake up” and was speechless for a moment.
“Please Harry, you can't just abandon me now!” she pleaded softly.
Harry looked into her eyes for what seemed like hours until he finally faced the truth of the matter. He would have to let her go with them.
She came with me to destroy three of the five, once-remaining horcruxes. She saved his life when he was battling Nagini, who was surprisingly away from her master at the time. Without Ginny, Hermione would have died the other night on the lawn, too. Her defensive skills have improved greatly, why shouldn’t she come? You’ll be the one fighting Voldemort, not her. She can take a few stupid Death Eaters.
Harry nodded slightly to Ginny and looked down. The pair was still entangled, and Ginny unwrapped their arms from around him and sat up on the couch.
Is Harry really going to fully agree this time? He has an excuse for everything! I can take care of myself, and if anything does go wrong I know Harry will be there to rescue me.
Ginny forgot Ron and Hermione were even in the room. She threw her arms around Harry’s neck, kissed his cheek, and said thank you at least half a dozen times. Harry just nodded in silence.
“I'm hungry,” Ginny stated, giving Hermione a very obvious look. “Why don't you and Ron see what’s in the kitchen?”
Ron and Hermione got up and walked into the kitchen, but Ginny’s face wasn’t as bright as it had been thirty seconds ago.
Ginny took Harry’s hand and spoke what she really wanted to say to him. “Harry, I know what you think, but I'm coming too. I know this isn’t a game and--I'm really scared,” she finished, with an actual look of terror on her face.
Harry felt they had over-talked this subject, and finally looked up at Ginny. “I wish I knew what to say,” he replied gravely, “but I'm scared too…I’d call you mad if you weren’t.”
With that said, Harry hugged her in a tired fashion, he hadn’t gotten much sleep last night. Ginny’s arms somehow found their way to the back of Harry’s neck again, and she managed to smile her wonderful smile. All of Harry’s worries melted away when he saw that smile. He couldn’t help but move a little closer, until they were about an inch apart. Their lips softly collided, and Harry knew that he could never leave her behind because he was now so deeply in love with her. Ron and Hermione stood silently in the doorway, smiling, as they watched their predictions come true.