Here, There, and Everywhere

Here, There, and Everywhere

Chapter 02: Brother-in-law

"What?!"

Ronald Weasley couldn't help but grin when every single eye turned to stare at him. It was kind of funny to think that everyone in that room would think he was the one to have an outburst. After all, he was Ronald Weasley - red hair, short temper, and most importantly, Hermione's ex-boyfriend and Charlie's brother. In other words, he was the usual suspect. Him, not Harry.

The young Weasley was amused as he listened to his best friend's tantrum. Harry had never been the kind of person that was constantly prying into his friends' love lives. Not even when he, Ron, was having another argument with Hermione.

And it was that low profile personality that made Ron gaze at him, slightly bewildered.

'Harry, mate, you are turning into a Weasley!' Ron smirked to himself. However, the smile fell when he noticed Harry's eyes; they didn't look surprised or shocked, they looked hurt... and betrayed.

And when Harry dropped his stare from Hermione and Charlie and turned towards him, Ronald didn't need words to understand what his friend was saying.

'You knew,' Harry's eyes seemed to be saying. 'You knew'.

Unsure of exactly why, Ron averted his eyes- turning his gaze to Hermione and Charlie. The previous silence in the room had been replaced by a torrent of voices- everyone seemed to start talking at the same time. Everyone wanted explanations from the young couple.

He could see that despite her apparent coolness, Hermione was nervous; she was holding Charlie's hand so tightly that Ron wondered if his brother would need a Healing Charm for his broken bones.

Hermione.

There were still moments in which he wondered what could have been. What if... But he knew that no one can live with what if's. Of course, he regretted what he had done; he regretted the pain he had caused her- how much he had hurt her- the angry words they had shared, those hidden truths that had come to surface.

However, he didn't regret or mourn the end of their relationship.

Their love relationship had died a long time before. Or perhaps, it had never really existed.

It doesn't matter anyway.

Taking a deep breath, Ron got up from his chair and walked towards the couple.

He could feel the entire room watching him- Harry watching him, as he went to stand
before them.

"Charlie." He shook his hand. "It's good to see you."

"Welcome back, Hermione," he said with a genuine smile. "Welcome to our family."

Without saying a word, Hermione let go off Charlie's hand and launched herself into Ron's arms, hugging him tightly.

"Thank you, Ron," she whispered quietly into his ear. "Thank you."

Ron didn't say anything, just held her. The simple truth was that he should be the one thanking her. He knew he didn't deserve what she had done, he wasn't worth her consideration- but he also knew that their breakup wasn't only about cheating.

*~*

"You are a great wizard," Hermione said with a teary smile, "a great friend."

He grinned at her. "You too, Hermione." Then he rapidly added, "I mean, you are a great friend and a great witch."

Hermione laughed softly, giving him a light hug. "Thank you," she whispered after breaking the embrace, "thank you."

"No, I'm the one who should be saying thank you," he replied. "Thank you for everything." He looked at her kindly. Hermione was a gorgeous twenty-six year old woman; the hair wasn't so bushy, the legs seemed longer, and the body was just perfect. Yes, those years away from England had been good to her. "Thank you for telling me first." The young witch put a hand on his cheek. "You had the right to be the first to know," she whispered. "After everything, you had the right to know- to be the first to know." She smirked. "And I will be your sister, after all."

"My sister!" He shook his head in wonder. "Who would have ever thought?"

"No one," she agreed, as she sipped some of her tea, suddenly sobering up. "Are you sure you are alright with it?"

He gave her a short nod. "I don't have any right to say anything, do I?" He rubbed the back of his neck, looking up at the ceiling. "I made a mistake five years ago; I let you go." Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but he held up a hand, making her stop. "I cheated on you."

"Please..."

"No, Hermione, I need to finish this," he insisted, and she agreed with a small nod. Hermione had never thought he would grow up so much in those years. "I committed a huge mistake when I cheated on you, and I am very sorry for all the suffering I made you go through." He took a deep breath. "However, if I cheated you with my body, you had already been cheating on me with your heart, and..." She opened her mouth, but he cut her off. "I am not going there," - Ron gazed at her meaningfully -- "but you know that I am right. You loved him, since forever. We just messed things up."

"I'm engaged," she pointed out. "My- my supposed feelings-" He snorted, and she pretended not to have noticed. "My supposed feelings towards him stopped when I left Britain." She sighed. "What happened was... was a mistake- shouldn't- shouldn't ever have happened." Hermione sounded unconvincing, but firm. "Not all feelings are about romance, or love. I'm not going to deny that there was an attraction- otherwise-" She cupped his face with her hands. "I would never have been with you if I had loved somebody else." She smiled. "I am happy- really happy, as I never really have been. Silly mistakes stayed behind in our adolescence."

I hope you are right, Hermione. I hope you are right.

**

Ron let go of her embrace and placed a hand on her right cheek, stroking her skin lightly with his thumb. He missed her more than he had thought.

A smile started to form on his lips, and he had opened his mouth to say something when he noticed that Hermione's eyes were searching for something behind him.

He didn't need to turn around to know what her gaze was looking for.

Harry.

"Hermione-"

"I was sure I had seen him- heard him-" She turned her eyes back to him. "He was the one who cried- He- He- Then everyone started to talk at same time, and- I need to find him." Hermione tried to walk away but Ron grabbed her arm, shaking his head.

"Hermione-"

"I-I thought I saw him," she whispered very quietly. "He's angry, isn't he?"

Ron wanted to shake his head, to say no- to say that Harry had gone to the loo, or wherever, but he knew it wouldn't be the truth. Hermione would know that too. After so many years of friendship Ron could feel the bitter anger coming from Harry as he had realized that Ron already knew about Hermione and Charlie.

The young wizard then put a hand gently on her face. "He's just surprised, Hermione."

"I'll talk with him," she said quietly yet firmly, but Ron grabbed her arm tightly enough to stop her in her track.

"No, Hermione," he hissed glancing sideways at his brother, who was looking at them intensely. "You stay here with Charlie-"

"Ron-"

"No, Hermione," he repeated more definitely this time. "I won't let you make the same mistake twice." Hermione's stare hardened, and she pursed her lips slightly. "Sorry, that was uncalled for, but you know I'm right. Stay here with Charlie. I can tell that mum and Ginny, and the others are dying to know how you two got together." He closed his eyes for a moment, tiredly- suddenly feeling much older than his twenty six years. "I know how to deal with a temperamental Harry Potter. I've been doing it - without your help - for the past five years." Ron knew that he was being, maybe, a little too harsh, but he felt it was necessary.

He didn't blame her for having moved on, walked away, but part of him couldn't forgive her for never coming to see them during all this time. It felt like all the previous years of friendship had meant nothing to her.

However, maybe, things could be different.

Seeing that Hermione had nodded, even if a little reluctantly, he gave her a kiss on the cheek and then looked at Charlie, nodding briefly before walked away.

***

Ron found Harry in the backyard, sitting on a bench, staring silently at the sky. The redheaded wizard took a deep breath, but before he could say anything, Harry spoke up.

"You already knew," he said, still looking up at the sky. His voice was dull and laced with bitterness. "She had already told you."

Ron closed his eyes only to open them a second later; he ran a hand through his hair before striding towards his friend.

"Harry-" he started in a consoling tone. However, Harry turned around and held up a hand, making him stop.

"No, Ron," he spat wryly, "there's nothing you could say. She told you- and not me." He gave a dry laugh, shaking his head. "My best friend is getting married and I didn't even know she was dating. Oh! And that's even better! My other best friend already knew and never said a word!"

Ron sighed, shifting on his feet. He knew that it wasn't the time for 'Ron, the comic relief,' or even 'Ron, the short tempered Weasley.' The shadows in Harry's eyes were telling him it was time for the best friend.

He just wanted to know when he had turned into the mature one of the Trio?

*

Throughout the years, with all the deaths, the insurances, Ronald Weasley had learned to read Harry- not like Hermione, but in a slightly different way.

Harry wasn't and never would be an easy human being.

"Such darkness can change any soul, Mister Weasley," McGonagall had once said.

Truly, when she had said those words, Ron wondered if she was considering the possibility of Harry becoming dark- evil- and that kind of thought had frightened him. It wasn't a matter of belief in his best friend. Merlin knows that he would die for Harry but Ron wasn't innocent enough to not know that such power could mean doom for an already troubled soul.

However, time had passed- the war was over and Ron himself had mourned his deeds, unable to stop the change within his own demeanor- it was then that he truly understood the meaning of McGonagall's words.

She was right.

No soul could be the same after such darkness, such death.

And then Ron felt sick with himself- nauseous at the thoughts that he had allowed himself to consider. That sickly feeling had hit him with such intensity that when their friendship was truly 'shaken' by the 'happening', Ron had managed to fight against his own insecurities and bad temper, and concluded that their friendship was more important than anything. Even a betrayal.

He had finally grown up.

The young wizard shook his head, trying to erase those memories, those thoughts. What had happened was meant to stay in the past. Like some pieces of the war, it wasn't meant to be revealed.

It was something just between the three friends.

"Harry," Ron spoke again, "the fact that Hermione told me and not you wasn't something personally against you." He looked straightly into Harry's piercing eyes. "It had nothing to do with you."

Harry snorted. "Of course it's personal, Ron!" he said sardonically. "We're friends, or at least we're supposed to be."

Ron shook his head. "No, Harry," he replied in an oddly calm tone of voice, "You're wrong. Hermione didn't tell me because I'm one of her best friends."

"Then why?" Harry inquired in disbelief.

"She told me first because it was right! She was being considerate. She told me as my ex-girlfriend, Harry! Not my best friend!" Ron exclaimed a little louder that he had intended. "My ex-girlfriend is getting married to my brother, Harry!"

"But I-"

"Fuck, Harry!" So much for controlling your temper, Weasley! "Not everything is about you! Hermione and I-" He stopped a moment, running a hand over his hair. "Some things are only between me and her." Ron took a deep breath trying to cool down. "We've always taken her for granted." Harry opened his mouth to protest but Ron cut him off. "No, Harry! You know I'm right. We did take her for granted. Even you. In certain aspects, especially you. I'm not saying that I'm proud of it but we both know it's the truth." He gave a tired smile. "She's happy. She's finally happy. And- And Charlie- And Charlie is a great guy. I- we - can't be selfish enough to deny it to her.

Harry looked down at his hands, then raised his gaze to Ron's a second later. "I know, I know. There's nothing that I want more than to see Hermione happy. It's- It's just-"

"Mate, I won't say that when Hermione told me, I didn't almost freak out, but I think you should give Charlie some credit." He gave a lopsided grin. "He's a Weasley after all!"

Harry couldn't help but smile. "I know, I know. I was just being a-"

"A prat," a soprano voice spoke behind them.

It was Hermione.

***