Learning to Live

Chapter Three

"Ron!"

"Hey, Hermione!"

"Oh -- Harry!"

After the students were all allowed up, all of the audience members came out of the bleachers and down to the field to talk to them.

There were swarms of people all over, bustling about and chattering excitedly.

"Oh, Ron!" Violet hugged him tightly, arms wrapped around his neck. "You finally did it, didn't you, kid?"

"Finally, eh?" he said and smiled.

He loved her and she might as well have been family. She certainly looked like a Weasley, with her deep red hair and strategically placed freckles across her nose. She stood much shorter than he, with plain jeans, t-shirt, and tennis shoes.

She pulled back and held him by the shoulders. "Well, at least you actually did it and didn't drop out like two other certain someones I could mention." She shot a look back at the Weasley twins.

"Hey!" Fred exclaimed, "We were going to be expelled anyway!"

"It's true!" George stuck in, "We would've been beaten first! You saw!"

"I did see," Violet said and nodded. She looked back at Ron. "Take it from someone who graduated last year: it's not that different, I promise. Or that scary. It's just a change. You aren't used to being at home."

He nodded. "Yeah. I know, but I don't know what I want to do -- "

"Don't worry," she said, "you don't need to. I don't know what I want to do and I've been out of school for a year! I'm telling you -- Fred and George'll give you a job!" She giggled. "I forced them to give me one."

"Oh, we wanted to give you one," George told her, crossing his arms, "You were one of the ones that we were chasing after once you graduated. If you hadn't have found us, we would've eventually found you."

She shook her head, ignoring them. She looked back up at Ron. "I'm proud of you, Ron."

He blushed. "Thanks ... "

"Hey, Ron," Harry said and stopped to stand next to him. "Lee was just explaining to me the finer points of not being in school."

Lee shook her head. "I was just telling him that it was nice to sleep in."

The older girl crossed her arms, shaking her head, sending dark brown curls everywhere. She stood equally tall to Harry and wore simple Muggle clothes as well.

"Vi was telling me the same, only she was trying to tell me to get a job with my brothers."

"I was suggesting it because you didn't know what you were gonna do!" Violet exclaimed, laughing. "It's nice not being in school, but these two won't miss it a lot."

Harry nodded. "It'll be okay. ... We'll be alright."

Violet beamed at him. "Harry, I love you!"

"Me too," Lee agreed. "Look on the brightside: we'll see you boys a lot more now!"

Harry and Ron nodded.

"And who knows -- I bet that Violet and I could rope the boys into giving you jobs. I mean, really, if they listen to anyone, it's us!"

"We heard that," Fred called.

"Good!" She shook her head, but directed her attention to the boys again. "Seriously, if you boys need somewhere to stay, you can stay with us, okay?"

"We'll keep that in mind," Ron said and nodded.

"I think I'm staying with Ron and them ... " Harry said.

"But, if you need to." Violet pressed. "Just send us an owl. Or just come over."

"What about Fred and George?"

"Aah, who cares what they think?" she said and grinned.

"Heard that too!" George said.

"Anyway, Harry, Ron -- talk to us, okay?" Lee said.

They both nodded.

"We're gonna talk to Seamus and Dean -- we'll see you later, alright?" Violet said.

They nodded again.

"Love you two!" Both girls hugged the two younger guys, "Bye!"

Both girls walked away and out of sight.

"I love them," Harry said and shook his head, smiling.

"Yeah, they're great," Ron agreed.

"So, fellas."

The twins now stood in front of them.

Ron and Harry both raised an eyebrow, waiting for whatever they had to say.

"You boys finally proved that you can survive school and not turn into zombies," Fred said in an approving voice.

"We're proud," George said and nodded. "Congratulations, boys."

"Now, even though the lovely ladies were talking about forcing us into giving you jobs -- you don't have to force us into anything," Fred began to say.

"Anytime that you boys need jobs, just come talk to us," George said, "They're open for you."

"We'd be honored to have you two troublemakers working for us."

"Though, your mischief couldn't even begin to compare to ours -- "

" -- we're willing to place you in the category right below us."

"Exactly."

"So," Fred said and looked at them seriously, "Anytime you boys need help or anything, you know how to get ahold of us, yes?"

They both nodded.

"Alright, well, we may see you on the train," George told them, "We may track you down and sit with you."

Harry nodded, before blurting, "Hey, have you seen Rachel?"

"I saw her a few minutes ago, I was talking to her," Fred answered, "I don't know where she went though ... "

"How about Andy?" Ron asked.

"What about Andy?"

Harry and Ron turned around to see the tall blonde they had been looking for.

"Congratulations, boys!" she exclaimed, bringing them both in for a hug. "We did it!"

"Yeah, we did," Harry said and grinned, "Hey, I hate to leave just as you got here, but I'm going to talk to Rachel. Or try to find her ... "

"She went that way," Fred said and pointed and Harry went off the way he indicated, "Anyway, I'll leave you two to talk -- we need to find our gorgeous girls ... see which way they went?"

"Same way," Ron said.

"Alright, see you on the train, little brother," George said, as he ruffled Ron's hair. Fred clapped him on the shoulder and both twins walked away.

Ron and Andy stood in silence for a minute, both looking around the grounds. Around the Quidditch field, out into the forest, Hagrid's hut, the castle, the lake.

"I'm gonna miss it here," she said tearfully after a few minutes. She was staring at the castle.

"I am too," he replied softly, still looking around, "I'm definitely gonna feel differently about everything."

Andy nodded.

"What about us?" Ron asked.

"What about us?" she replied, still looking around, "I don't plan on going anywhere, do you?"

"No, I suppose not," he said, "No where out of country or anything."

"Well, neither am I."

"Good."

"Good."

* * *

"Rachel!"

She turned around, long golden hair whipping around with her, to see who had called her.

"Harry," she said and smiled. She threw her arms around his neck, tears starting to burn her eyes. "I can't believe this."

"I know," he said, closing his eyes.

"What are we gonna do?" she asked.

"What do you mean, 'what are we gonna do'? We're not gonna do anything. We're gonna grow up, that's what we're gonna do."

She pulled back. "I mean you and me. What are we gonna do?"

"Nothing," he replied. "I'm going to find somewhere to live. I'm going to figure out what's going on in my life. You're gonna be in it. That's not something that I need to think about."

She nodded. "Yeah ... yeah, well, what're you doing?"

He chuckled and said, "I don't know. I have no idea."

She giggled for the first time that day. "I guess we'll figure it out as we go along."

"Yeah, Rach. We'll figure it out as we go."