Five Years Later

"What do you mean?" Ron said in a disbelieving tone. His face was all flushed; even his hair looked redder, if that was possible.

"They broke it off for good," Harry resisted the urge to laugh at his friend's response to the news.

Ron began to pace the floor of the living room. He mumbled, "What... six years... it can't be... possible..."

Harry turned his head away to grin.

Ron faced Harry and said in at exasperated tone, "You've got to be kidding?"

"Nope," Harry said. He relaxed in his chair and was thoroughly enjoying this. "She mentioned that she thought that he had found someone else."

"What!" Ron was fuming. "The son of a gun dumped Hermione?"

"Well, I always figured that they weren't too serious about each other. I never thought that they would get married or anything. I'm surprised that they lasted as long as they did," Harry said causally, rising to raid the fridge.

Ron continued to pace thinking about the whole messy situation. He stopped dead in his tracks and turned to look at Harry. "Wait! You look like you're enjoying this," said Ron, with an appalled look on his face.

Harry emerged from the kitchen with a bottle of pumpkin juice. "Well, my two best friends haven't talked to each other in five long years because they were too stubborn to admit their feelings. With this new development things can only get better. Of course, I'm happy."

And then he thought and said, "And Justin broke up with Ginny."

"I never liked that bloke. He didn't believe you in second year." Ron's voice became gradually angrier and louder. "A Huff-"

"Ron, have you ever liked any guy that Ginny has dated?" Harry asked.

"Yes. You.I always wanted the two of you stay together. Why did you break up?" Ron said as he sat down and looked up to Harry. No one really knew why Ginny and Harry broke up in Harry's seventh year. They had seemed liked the perfect couple to everyone.

"Ahh...I don't really want to talk about that." Harry sat down and put up his feet. "Women..."

"Yeah...what are we going to do?" Ron said making a face, "Am I just supposed to knock on her door and say 'Hi? Sorry, we haven't spoken in five years. Would you like to go out?"

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One week later, Ron walked down Diagon Alley in his best robes. He looked very handsome but yet very nervous. Today was the day we had been waiting years for. It was the day he was going to reveal his feelings to Hermione, at least if he had the courage to. Sunflowers in the market window caught Ron's eye. He stopped and bought a bouquet of them. Ron thought that they would look nice in the vase on the dinner table. Nice and romantic, were Ron's last thoughts as he bumped into another redhead.

"Ron!" Fred said, "You better watch where you're going."

"Hi Fred, George...," Ron gulped and quickly turned red. He knew was going to happen next.

Fred and George eyed the flowers and Ron's best robes with glee.

"Does Ronnikins have a date?" George's eyes danced with amusement.

"It's none of your business," Ron said angrily and marched off in the direction of the Leaky Cauldron.

Smelling blood Fred and George caught up with him.

"So, Ron, who is it?" Fred asked.

"Lavender? Nicole MacDonald?" George rambled on, "the girl that you were dancing with at Percy's wedding, Alexa?"

"Moaning Myrtle? Luna?"

The twins kept pestering Ron until he stopped at a table. Finally they peeled their eyes off Ron finally and looked at the person sitting across the table.

"HARRY," they shouted in unison.

"Er... ah... ahem... Are you Ron's secret lover?" George asked looking very uncomfortable.

Harry coughed hard trying to hide a laugh. Looking from Fred to George he said, "No... not that there's anything wrong with that."

Ron sat down, his eyes throwing daggers at his twin brothers.

"Harry... can you please, please tell us who is Ron's date?"

"Shouldn't it be obvious? If it's not me...," Harry tried suppressed a grin, "then..."

"Hermione..." George said breathless. "It was obvious all along."

"Isn't she still going out with Krum?" Fred said still reeling from the shock.

"Nah, they broke up a few weeks ago." Harry answered. "Hermione thinks that she is having dinner with me at my apartment. Ron will help me make dinner and then I will go back to Ron's apartment. Then, if everything goes to plan, Hermione will show up and Ron will woo her off her feet."

As if, Ron thought, I'll probably get a two hour lecture about not answering her owls.

George snorted, "You're talking about our brother wooing a girl? HA!"

"But I thought that you were over her?" Fred was still looking stunned.

"Not quite," Ron turned 'Weasley' red again.

"Hermione! Finally," George grunted, "I mean it's only been nine whole years since you figured out you liked her."

"Well, Harry wants to court Ginny, again," Ron said smugly.

"Ron!" Harry cried.

"Well, you told them about Hermione!"

"Yeah... but they are Ginny's brothers. They're going to beat me up."

"No... we aren't." Fred replied. "We always liked you and Ginny together. We just figured it would take time."

"What no teasing... no beatings...?" Ron couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"We'll tease them later. But you are our brother; it's much more enjoyable to tease you."

"So, Harry, any plans to, ahem, court my sister?" George asked doing his best impression of Percy.

"Nah, still trying to figure things out."

"Well, you can always ask me for advice." Fred grinned as he puffed out his chest. He had an uncanny likeness to Percy about him when he did that. "I pursued my wife successfully."

"I can't believe that Angelina puts up with you," Ron muttered, "and my lunatic three nephews."

"She fell in love with my charm and drollness...," Fred said.

"Is that what you call it?" Harry said with a smirk on his face.

"Good luck, boys," said George as he and a grinning Fred started walking towards the bar.

"Would you care to make this interesting?" George could be heard talking to his twin. "Five Galleons that Hermione..."

"Typical... they're betting on our love lives," Ron said shaking his head.

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Harry looked around his homey apartment. This was only place that ever really felt like home for him, aside from Hogwarts. Hermione helped him decorated it five years ago. She wanted it to feel like a home for him. It was cozy with touches of Harry all over the place. A framed picture of Harry, Hermione and Ron was hung over the fireplace. In the photo both Hermione and Ron had their backs to each other and were constantly throwing each other nasty looks. Trophies from school, pictures of Hagrid, Lily, James, Sirius, and other dear friends of Harry's filled the bright walls of the apartment.

Harry liked his life although he did have a non-existent love life. He enjoyed his job. Putting Death Eaters in Azkaban was rewarding. It was satisfying to finally bring justice to those who had lives had been torn apart by Voldemort. People like the MacKinnons, the Bells, the Diggorys, Neville and his family, and the list went on and on.

Harry was busy cooking his mother's spaghetti recipe. After the defeat of Voldemort, Dumbledore gave him a few boxes of his parent's belongings. In these treasured boxes he found his mother's recipe book. Lily Potter apparently was a very good cook. And this spaghetti recipe was James' favorite, not to mention Hermione's favorite as well.

A nervous Ron was steadily pacing the length of Harry's kitchen. He was stress, worried, nervous and sweating all over the place.

"What if she walks out?" he asked stopping to look of a framed picture of terrified but excited Hermione taken at the top of a Ferris wheel.

"Ron, if you give her a glance of the spaghetti she will not leave," Harry said sipping a glass of red wine. "Everyone loves my mother's recipe. I once caught Hermione licking her plate. This is the stuff that you lure girls with. They will adore any guy that actually cooks, but they will worship a guy that is a really good cook."

"Well, knowing your love life I won't get anywhere," Ron grinned.

Harry playfully threw a spatula at Ron and gave his friend a look that would bring any other wizard to his knees.

"Now, now, no throwing things at my face,I have to look good for Hermione," Ron started to relax and sat down on one of Harry's stools.

"Remember don't rush her too fast. Get her to sit down and have dinner. You don't want to overwhelm here. You can talk about your feelings when both of you are comfortable." If they will ever be comfortable discussing their feelings for each other, thought Harry as he sighed.

"I know. And of course I'll take all the credit for this feast."

"Well, we want you to seem as romantic as we can, because you usually never are."

"Come on, I'm a guy," Ron said making a face.

"She will be here in five minutes. Okay, all the food is ready. Come here," Harry motioned to Ron.

Ron stood beside Harry. Harry ruffled up Ron's fiery red hair and undid the second button of his shirt.

"What is this for, mate?"

"You have to look like you were slaving away over a hot oven all day." Harry spilled a bit of spaghetti sauce on Ron's shirt.

"Hey!"

"Hermione's smart. She'll know that I made the meal if we don't do this. Do you want to have a date with her or not?" Harry said as he placed a tea towel over Ron's left shoulder.

"Sorry."

"Okay... the cheese is in the fridge and-"

"I know... don't worry. I know where everything is," Ron heaved a sigh while patting Harry on the back. "Thanks so much, Harry. If there is any way I can ever repay you-"

They both heard a pop in the living room.

Harry grabbed his wand. He mouthed, 'Good luck', to Ron as he disappeared in a flash.

"Oh, Harry this is wonderful," Hermione called from the living room.

Ron rushed to grab the garlic bread. He took a deep breath and went through the swinging door into the dinning room.

To be continued...