Harry Potter and the Year After

Chapter Seventeen: The Visitor

Chapter 17: The Visitor

"Oh my God," Hermione yelled in a whisper. "It's Ron. Ron's come home early."

Hermione hopped up from bed and they both pulled their pants and jeans back on. Then, she magically Accio-ed the rest of their clothes to them and they hurried to pull them on.

Someone silenced the portrait. The person was moving up the stairs.

"Hello?" called a young woman.

"It's Ginny," Harry recognized immediately.

"Oh," Hermione said, her eyebrows furrowing.

"I'm not going to tell her anything," Harry said shaking his head. He pulled his shirt over his head as Hermione magically repaired his glasses for him.

"Of course not. There's nothing to tell," she said, gently sliding Harry's glassed back onto his face.

"Right. Of course not." Harry hesitated and then kissed Hermione's cheek before hurrying from the room.

"Ginny?" Harry called. He ran his hands over his clothes. Yep, all there.

As he jogged down the steps, he had a sudden reality check. What had he just been doing with Hermione?

It wasn't right. It had to stop. How could they do this to Ron?

"Hello?" Ginny called again. Harry peered down over the stair railing and saw her. "Oh, Harry. Hi."

Harry hurried down the multiple flights of stairs. He stopped just before her. Self-conscious, he ran a hand through his thoroughly messy hair.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" she asked, taking a step forward.

"Um, yeah."

"I thought you would be at the ministry—Merlin, you wreak of alcohol. Were you celebrating?"

"Celebrating?" Harry was confused. "No... uh... Sorry, did, er, you want to talk or... I could get a cuppa..."

"No, actually I'm looking for Hermione. I just heard the news. Is she home?" Ginny stepped forward and peaked up at the staircase. She was within a foot of Harry when she did this. Her long red hair swayed down and tickled his cheek. Reflexively, he took a step back from her.

She seemed to notice and she turned and looked at him.

"Sorry," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Is she here?" she asked again. She was studying him the way Mrs. Weasley would. Like she was trying to read words on his face.

"Yeah, I think so," Harry said, gritting his teeth through the lie. He couldn't look at her anymore. He called up the stairs, "Hermione! Ginny wants to see you."

A few seconds passed and Hermione didn't come down the stairs.

"You know, I do want to talk to you too, if you're willing to talk to me, that is," Ginny said quietly.

"Right... how did you get here?" Harry asked, distracted. "You're too young to Apparate."

"Dean is waiting outside," Ginny said, raising an eyebrow.

"Dean?" Harry repeated blankly. Why did he care who had brought her here? "So are you back with him then?"

"No. He was just being nice. He'd come to the Three Broomsticks with Seamus. And Neville and Luna are there with Ron—"

"Right, you go along with Dean then," Harry said. He hadn't meant to sound so biting.

"Harry," Ginny whispered. Her cheeks turned crimson. He was glad. They both peered up the stairs when they heard a floorboard creak. Hermione was quietly coming down the stairs.

"Don't let me interrupt anything," Hermione said, stopping on the staircase. "I thought I'd heard my name."

"You did, hear your name I mean. Not interrupting," Harry said immediately, "Ginny came to see you."

"Right!" Ginny said, over-bright, "I wanted to celebrate with you."

"Celebrate?" Hermione asked.

Ginny pushed past Harry as she hurried up the stairs toward Hermione. His arm felt like it burned with electricity where Ginny had accidentally touched him.

"Of course. We're going to be sister-in-laws!" Ginny said. She reached Hermione and hugged her. Hermione belatedly hugged her back.

"Right," Hermione said. She looked down the steps at Harry and silently mouthed the word 'sorry'. Harry looked away.

He should be happy for her.

"Ron and George closed the shop early. George took him out to celebrate. They're in Hogsmeade and probably aren't going to be able to Apparate home. We should all three go and celebrate with them."

"No, no. I have so much reading to do... I really oughtn't."

"Oh come on, Hermione. Just this once. They want you there. Ron needs you. He seemed kind of nervous."

"You go along. Hermione and I will be there in a few minutes," Harry said behind her.

"Okay," Ginny said. She forced a smile on her face as she turned to look at him. Then, she walked down the stairs, passed Harry, and left.

Harry waited until he heard a crack—Dean and Ginny had Apparated away—before he spoke to Hermione.

"So, by the way, where's your ring?" he asked her, taking the last few steps up to face her.

"I haven't a ring yet."

"It's odd how quickly you forgot about your engagement."

Hermione ignored him. "I think we're both just confused about some things, you and I. That's all. I'm just relieved we haven't done something we would regret."

"What? You haven't done anything you regret? That means you don't regret lying naked in my bed and kissing me? If Ginny hadn't shown up--"

"Harry, I know." He stopped talking and looked up at her. "I care about you so much. I love you. But Ron... I can't... I love Ron. I always have."

"Right. I'm not asking you to break his heart," Harry said, shaking his head. Hermione flung her arms around him and hugged him.

"Harry! I'm so sorry for all of this!" He didn't let himself hug her back. She stopped hugging him after a second or two and they stood silently, both looking at the other but thinking about other things.

"Before we go... you know there's still a joint or two left somewhere," Harry said, "They're probably in Ron's room. We could just try one more. See what we see."

"I suppose. It doesn't take long."

"Come on," Harry said. He took her hand in his and led her upstairs.

Ron's room was unlocked. It smelled like him. His orange Chudley Cannons posters had been transplanted from his old bedroom to here.

"Maybe we should tell Ron what's happened," Hermione said, glancing around his room, "Everything that's happened. He might understand and forgive us."

"Yes, Ron is a very understanding guy. He'd totally understand when he is told that his worst fear has been realized and I'm trying to steal his girlfriend, no, his fiancée... We never told you what he saw when he killed the Horcrux in the locket, I just realized."

She looked over at him. "What did he see?"

"You mean what was your fiancé's worst fear?" Harry found the little baggie. It was on top of a dusty old dresser.

"Yes," she said, pressing her lips together.

"He saw you and me snogging. These versions of us that were... better-looking. And you were saying how he was nothing and I'm so... well you can probably guess."

"Oh. I see," Hermione said. They sat down on his bed, side by side. Hermione pulled out her wand as Harry took a blunt out. "He can never know."

"Yeah."

Hermione lit the joint as Harry inhaled. He passed it to her and within a couple of seconds, he saw black stars.