Too Close For Comfort

Chapter 1

Ron was sitting at a small table near the back of the library. Harry could spot his vivid, red hair a mile off, and he began to make his way over to him. Ron looked up, noticed Harry walking towards him, and quickly hunched over the piece of parchment to shield it from Harry's suspicious gaze.

"Hi, what are you doing in the library? Oh no! All this dating stuff's gone to your head hasn't it? You've become Hermione!"

"No of course I haven't, you stupid git. No, I was just searching for that 'R.A.B'. I mean we're only here for a few days, so if we want to know if that Horcrux thing was destroyed before tearing off after You Know Who's other ones, we've got to get searching, haven't we?' Ron replied, a little too fast. He stared at Harry for a few seconds before saying bluntly, 'what are you doing here?"

"Looking for you. That meeting with McGonagall tonight has been moved to eleven o'clock. What are you writing?"

"Erm, nothing important," he said, hurrying to put the parchment into his bag, but Harry was too quick for him. Ron blushed astonishingly as Harry read the beginning of the apology Ron had been working on.

'I never meant the things I said to make you cry,
Can I say I'm sorry,
It's hard to forget,
And yes I regret, all these mistakes.

I don't know why you're leaving me,
But I know you must have your reasons.
There are tears in your eyes,
I watch as you cry,
But it's getting late'

An awkward pause followed, during which Harry dropped his bag onto the floor, and took the chair across the table. He looked up at Ron, whose ears were shining brighter than the setting sun.

"Well, I was wondering what you'd said to make Hermione so upset," he said, pausing to watch his friend's reaction before saying, "that's partly why I wanted to talk to you. Neither of you showed up for dinner tonight, so I thought it must have been something like this."

Harry was trying his best not to smile. The truth was he was so used to this sort of thing to be worried. Admittedly, this was the first time Harry had caught Ron trying to write her an apology; so obviously, whatever he'd done, it must have been big, but they always made up again, so Harry just had to push things along a bit.

Ron shuffled uncomfortably in his chair as Harry waited patiently for a response.

"Well, I don't totally know what happened myself," said Ron quietly, knowing full well that Harry would probably have sat in the chair opposite him all night until he answered. It would be a lot less hassle to just get it over with now. "One minute we were getting along fine, and the next she'd stood up and run out of the room, crying."

"Well what did you say to her?" Harry asked. After six years of bickering and arguments, Harry knew how to handle Ron/Hermione fall-out situations. Ron was the easier target, and all Harry had to do was talk Ron into understanding what he had done wrong, and Ron would be able to sort things out for himself from there.

Ron glanced around the library, and when he had checked each corner of the room twice and made certain no-one was eavesdropping, he looked down at the table and spoke to his hands.

"Well, I...er...you won't...er... laugh or anything, will you?" he stammered nervously.

"Wouldn't dream of it mate," Harry replied, his facial muscles screaming in protest as he fought to keep it straight. Ron looked around again, fidgeting, and then turned back to Harry. A long silence followed, but Harry knew it was up to Ron to speak first, and that he would do so when he was ready.

"Erm, I...er...I kind of asked Hermione to tell me...." and he trailed off into nothing.

"Sorry, didn't catch that," Harry said, no longer restraining a smile. It had vanished along with Ron's voice. Ron looked seriously worried about something, and Harry felt it a bad mark of friendship to find Ron's uneasiness funny. Instead he stared at Ron with a look of great concern on his face.

"I asked Hermione what she thought about me. So she told me, all really nice stuff, you know. Then she asked me what I thought of her, and I kind of lost my mind then. I went ranting on about all of her bad traits, and about her being a know-it-all, and then...God, why the hell did I say it?"

Harry was dumbstruck. Ron was actually shaking with grief, and Harry saw tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

"What did you say?" Harry asked, wondering if he really wanted to know.

"I...er...oh, Harry, I accused her of fancying you!" he wailed.

Harry sighed and studied him. He didn't trust himself to speak yet. For a moment, he wanted to hit Ron for being such an ungrateful, jealous, ignorantly blind prat, but then the moment passed, and he was watching a grief-stricken friend shaking with remorse.

"What the hell made you say that? When has either of us given the impression that we like each other?" Harry asked, trying to keep his voice even.

"I don't know why I said it. I just saw her watching you again. She's always talking about you, and watching you, and asking me about you. It just made me think that she liked you." The tears were becoming more noticeable. Harry was thinking fast. Drastic action and a loud shouting match were required. So naturally, Harry needed to get them together.

"You moron, Ron! Me and Hermione are friends, you self-obsessed dolt! You seriously need to pull yourself together mate, or this relationship isn't going to go anywhere." They sat in silence for a few minutes, and Harry read through the apology again.

"Oh no," he whispered, "She's broken it off, hasn't she?" Ron looked up, eyes watering, and nodded.

"Oh, Ron!" Harry stood up and went to sit next to Ron, placing a hand on his shoulder. "What are you going to do?" he asked quietly.

"Well, I thought maybe if I wrote her an apology-"

"Don't you think she'd prefer it if you actually apologised to her face?"

"How am I supposed to do that when she runs from the room as soon as I turn up?"

"Leave that to me. We have to fix this before eleven o'clock, so I'm going to help you out. Finish writing up this...apology...and then meet me in the room of requirement at nine-thirty, OK?"

Harry stood up, squeezed Ron's shoulder encouragingly, and left the library. Looking back as he reached the library doors, he saw Ron gazing at the parchment in front of him. Harry sighed and set off back to the Room of Requirement. It was time to give Ron a kicking he would never forget...

***~***~***

"Harry?" Ron entered the Room of Requirement and gasped. Every inch of the shabby black wallpaper was hidden by ceiling-high cabinets full of glass and crystal plates and goblets. Harry was sitting in a spindly chair at the far end of the hall, apparently waiting for Ron to arrive.

"About bloody time, I thought you'd chickened out," Harry said, standing up and walking over to Ron.

"Well it took me long enough to write this pile of garbage," Ron retorted.

"Well let's see it then!"

Half-heartedly, Ron handed the parchment over to Harry who sat down again and studied the faded parchment and untidy scrawl.

'Was I invading in on your secrets?
Was I too close for comfort?
You're pushing me out
When I'm wanting in
What was I just about to discover?
When I got too close for comfort
Driving you home
Guess I'll never know.'

"Hmm, do you think that's really suitable for what you're apologising for? To me, it sounds more like you're accusing her even more now than what you've already said to her face."

Ron shifted uncomfortably again, then took a quill from his pocket and scratched out the offending words. Harry took it back and continued reading.

'Remember when we scratched our names into the sand,
You told me you loved me.
But now that I find
That you've changed your mind,
I'm lost for words.
And everything I feel for you
I wrote down on one piece of paper,
The one in your hand,
You won't understand
How much it hurts to let you go.'

It went on, but Harry didn't like what he was seeing after this.

"Well, it's a start. I'd leave out that last paragraph of accusations if I were you, though. Incidentally, when did you scratch names into sand?"

Ron blushed and studied his laces. "While you were in Scarborough hunting for contacts of Mundungus Fletcher, Hermione and I went for a walk along the beach."

"Oh, and er, what piece of paper?" Harry glanced at the second piece of parchment in Ron's large hands.

"Oh, this is what I think about her, I mean... really think about her."

"Right, well, now we just have to get you two together, don't we?" Harry said, brightly.

Ron nodded, and studied his shoes. Before he could stop himself, he blurted out, "Harry, I need to fix this. I love her, and I can't imagine my life without her there with me. How can I get through this war without her by my side?"

"Well you'll just have to make sure you get it right this time, won't you? Don't worry, everyone can see how much she loves you. You're meant for each other. Call it fate, call it destiny, call it a kick in the teeth, but no matter what, you two are stuck for life." Ron smiled at Harry and opened his mouth to speak. At that moment, there was a knock on the door, and Hermione edged slowly into the room, causing Ron to go into a state of shock. He closed his mouth quickly, and looked from Hermione to Harry, and back.

"There you are Harry, I thought you said meet you in the corridor, I didn't know you'd be in..." but she broke off as she saw Ron. Tears began to slide gently down her cheeks, and she turned and began to leave the room, but before she could grasp the handle, Harry moved into clearer view.

"Erm, I need to send a message to Lupin, so I'll meet you two outside McGonagall's office at eleven o'clock. Have fun!" On that note, Harry left his two best friends glaring at each other, hoping that they would sort everything out. They had enough to be dealing with now, without mass arguments every few seconds.

As Harry made his solitary way back to the library for an hour of searching for non-existent names with increasingly annoying initials, yells and shouts erupted behind him. Harry turned into the fourth corridor and Ron's last paragraph began to echo around his head. For some reason, it seemed to bring home the truth of Harry's love life.

'All this time you've been telling me lies
Hidden in bags that are under your eyes
And when I asked you I knew I was right
But if you turn your back on me now
When I need you most
But you just let me down, down, down
Would you think about what you're about to do to me
And back down...

Was I invading in on your secrets
Was I too close for comfort
You're pushing me out
When I'm wanting in
What was I just about to discover
When I got too close for comfort
Driving you home
I guess I'll never know...'

This was practically what Ginny had said at their last meeting during Bill and Fleur's wedding. Harry had been sure she would have understood why he had ended it, but she hadn't. She had blamed him for lying and messing around. She had blustered on about how much she needed him. It had taken three cups of coffee and a shouting match reminiscent of Ron and Hermione before she had trusted him again.

Harry didn't know what to do anymore. He had hoped that she could have really thought about Harry's intentions, but she was being so stubborn about the whole thing. Harry knew what was upsetting her so much, and he also knew that she was secretly jealous of Ron and Hermione. She wanted to prove to him that she wasn't a child, and that she was in as much danger away from Harry as she was with him. She had wanted desperately to abandon school like her brother, but both Harry and Mrs Weasley had stamped that out. It was Harry's intervention that had hurt her the most.

Harry was lost. He was deliberately pushing Ginny away, needing to protect her, but a part of him was on Ginny's side. The only people who were being affected by Harry's nobility were himself and Ginny. Admitting that to himself was hard enough, but how could he tell Ginny? She was furious with him now. That argument had cooled her temper a bit, but they hadn't spoken since, and Harry was sure the long separation had been playing constantly on her mind.

Harry entered the library, silently thanking McGonagall for the unlimited access to its many resources and movement around Hogwarts. It had been a great relief when she had allowed them to stay in the Room of Requirement. Because of this agreement of secret sleeping arrangements, no-one but the Headmistress knew Harry, Ron and Hermione were in the castle, and Harry was quite happy to keep it that way. Arriving at three in the morning had been a real asset, as they had sorted out the Hidden Room before anyone in the castle was awake, and had met with McGonagall briefly.

However, a glimpse of Ginny Weasley in the Charms corridor just after they had arrived had tested his resolution to no end. It had taken a great deal of self-restraint to prevent himself from running down the corridor and refusing to let Ginny enter her lesson until he'd had his say.

Ron had noticed, and tried to comfort Harry, but nothing he had said had made Harry feel any better. That had been when he had started talking quietly with Hermione. Of course, Harry being so absorbed with his own misery had departed from the room quickly and headed for the library, running into McGonagall on the way. That must have been when the trouble had started between his two best friends.

Harry really hoped they sorted this out rapidly, because Harry was starting to think he would be unable to keep his cool much longer. He was already at breaking point, and the last thing he needed was the responsibility of repairing a friendship between the two people he needed the most right now.

How could Ron have been so stupid? Hermione was like a sister to Harry, had they ever really made it look like they had feelings any stronger than platonic? If Ron wanted to keep Hermione, he needed to sort out his jealousy issues. It had cost him dearly in his fourth year, and if Ron and Hermione fell out like Ron and Harry did, there wouldn't be any hope of ending this war soon. Harry didn't like relying on other people, but he knew deep down that he couldn't finish Voldemort without them.

Maybe if there was a chance of another, different friend, he wouldn't be as stressed now, but it wasn't just him that felt Ginny should be kept well out of it. Even Ron had been adamant that Ginny should return to Hogwarts. All the same, Harry was really missing her company. They had spent the whole summer before last together, and been with each other at the end of last year. He had become accustomed to being around her, her scent lingering in his nostrils. He was missing the strangest things about her too, silly things; the way the sun sent waves of light across her head and illuminated the many shades of red when she moved, the way the room seemed to brighten whenever she entered it, her sulkiness whenever she was teased by her brothers.

Harry dragged his eyes along a low shelf, looking at records of all students to attend Hogwarts. They had only been here a few hours, and they'd already searched at least thirteen tomes. He wasn't really looking though, as he thought about the many different ways he could talk with Ginny. I think I'm obsessing now, kept running through his overworked brain, but he just couldn't tear his mind from her.

He had been feeling strangely broken since his departure from The Burrow, and had been extremely subdued around Ron and Hermione. They had stopped trying to talk him round. Both had admitted defeat, and knew that the only way to see Harry happy again was for Ginny to forgive him. Harry had to recognise his feelings before that, and with fears about Voldemort increasing by the day, he hadn't had the chance to seek a conversation with Ginny.

Harry was determined to see it through. He was also determined to make sure everyone he cared for survived the war too. Only when Voldemort was finished would he be able to reconcile with Ginny Weasley, but a part of him wasn't sure he could last that long. How long would Ginny be prepared to wait?

***~***~***

Ten-fifty, I'd better go.

Harry left the library with an aching head, but no new ideas, and headed for McGonagall's room. His mind was back on Ginevra Weasley, and he was hardly aware of where his feet were taking him. Consequently, he entered the entrance to the Headmistress' corridor and had to look twice at the scene in front of him.

Ron and Hermione had made up and a full scale snog was currently underway. Harry smiled and tapped Ron on the shoulder. Ron jumped and looked round. He moved on down the corridor with Harry as Hermione set off after them, running to keep up.

"Hey, thanks for earlier. What you said, it really helped. Is there anyway I can repay you?" he asked, grinning broadly.

"Just promise me something," Harry said, stepping up to the large stone gargoyle and muttering the password. The three of them stepped onto the spiralling staircase and arrived outside the handsome oak door.

"You name it," Ron replied.

Harry considered him for a moment, Hermione watching the pair of them suspiciously from behind, before speaking.

"Make sure you both make it through this war. You need to promise me, that you'll both be happy and safe at the end, no matter what happens around you."

Ron stared at him before glancing back at Hermione. He leant forward, and kissed her on the cheek.

"Deal," he said, smiling, and giving Harry a fleeting glimpse of a beautiful red head with the same smile her brother was wearing. He shook this fantasy from his mind and sighed. This meeting was more important than Ginny at the moment, and he couldn't afford to get side-tracked. There would be plenty of time for that later, and he might even be able to meet her before his return to Godric's Hollow tomorrow, hopefully.

"Don't worry, Harry, she'll come around," whispered Hermione, squeezing his hand gently.

"I hope so. It's just so weird being back here. After everything that's happened, I don't think I could cope if she never forgave me. I need her to know how I feel, but every time I've tried to explain it to her, she just shrugs it off." Tears were threatening, but Harry pushed them back and stared at Hermione. She shared half a glance with Ron, and gave Harry a look that said quite plainly, 'only you can sort this out, Harry'. He hated when she was right.

Harry glanced quickly back at his best friends, mentally noting how lucky he was at having Ron and Hermione by his side. They gave him an encouraging smile, and he knocked twice on the door of the Head's office. Harry took a deep breath and entered, vaguely registering that the last time he had walked through this door, a very different person had been awaiting his arrival.