Fic: Before Me, chapter 4 (Harry Potter, Pg-13)
Title: Before Me, Chapter 4
Author: bramblerose4
Rating: PG
Part: 4 of ?
Warnings: Alcohol use and smoking (boys are of age), adult language, adult situations.
Summary: A newly single Harry is a highly tempting opportunity for Ron.
A/N: I apologize for the extra, super long wait for this chapter. In gratitude for all of the readers that have been staying with this story. This chapter is extra, super long!
A/N2: According to the HP-lexicon, both Harry and Ron become Aurors not long after the Battle of Hogwarts and so they are here. Enjoy!
A/N3: I introduce a few new characters this chapter, but fear not they won't take up too much space and we'll get back to the Ron and Harry stuff soon!
Prequel One Two Three
Before Me.
I woke up cold and shaking. I shivered and held the quilt closer to me, berating myself for not having thought to grab an extra blanket from the linen closet before going to bed last night. Urgh, I hate mornings. Planting my feet on the floor I blindly moved them around, searching for my slippers. I found one under the bed and had to use my wad to summon the other one. I couldn't see my robe anywhere and figured I must have left it in the bathroom. I got out of bed and there. Frost framed the window above the toilet and I licked my fingertip to write brief messages to amuse myself like "Hello" and "Wash Me," before wiping them away with my warm palm.
Eventually, I made my way into the kitchen where Harry was browsing The Morning Prophet, a hot mug of freshly brewed coffee cupped in his hands.
"Morning," I dutifully greeted my house mate.
He looked up at me and smiled. "Good morning Ron. Sleep well?"
"Yeah, though I wouldn't mind going back to bed for a few more hours," I replied with a yawn. I poured myself a coffee and leaned against the counter.
Harry laughed, and it felt as though things were back to normal between us. I offered to make some eggs, but Harry declined, claiming he wasn't hungry. I made enough for two anyway, knowing that once the smell of food filled the room he would be hungry. True to form, when I placed a plate in front of him he dug in without complaint.
"Got any plans for the day?" he asked, buttering toast.
"Work mostly," I managed between mouthfuls of scrambled egg.
"On a Saturday?"
"Yeah, I thought I told you."
"Remind me?"
"I promised to help Fred and George out on weekends. Besides, it's their busiest day of the week and Fred's pretty useless when it comes to carrying stuff, being a portrait and all." I explained.
"Oh, right." Harry said, looking forlorn.
"You should stop by. I'm sure the twins would be more than happy to see you."
"Maybe," Harry replied noncommittally. I had the distinct impression that Harry wanted to say something more, but was unwilling to bring up the subject. We continued to eat in silence. I wanted to prompt him to speak his mind, but I was due to arrive at Number 93 soon, and I couldn't be late. No, really. I couldn't. The twins were brutal when it comes to being at work on time, unless the reason for your tardiness makes them laugh. My stories never make them laugh. I think it is because I am their brother they wanted me to set a better example for their other employees. Well, whatever their reasons, I knew that if I didn't leave soon I was going to be really late. I would have to deal with Harry later. I rinsed out my dishes and went into my bedroom to dress for the day. I had enough time to wash my face and brush my teeth before I hurried out of the door. I threw a few owl treats at a slumbering Pigwidgeon as I literally ran out of the flat.
The sky was white with a blanket a clouds. It looked like it was going to rain, but it was so cold that it may even snow, though it was too early in the season for it. I walked with my hands tucked in my armpits to keep them warm. Taking my usual commute to the Leaky Cauldron I was soon standing in front of the brick wall that concealed Diagon Alley. Halloween decorations dotted the Alley in preparation for the holiday. I walked down the Alley adoring the decorations and smiling at a group of young wizards and witches as they stared at the Quidditch gear on display. I was tempted to waltz over to see the newest gear myself, but the threat of whatever the twins would do to me for being late wasn't worth the sneak peak. Besides, I could always stop by on my way home.
Reluctantly, I removed my hands from the warm confines of my pits and waved greetings to those shopkeepers who recognized me as they opened their shops for business. I spotted Madame Malkin standing in front of her store trying to balance a tower of packages as she tried to unlock the door. I quickly crossed the street to give her a hand, taking the parcels from her. She thanked me and said that I should stop in later. I promised her I would. Mum's birthday was coming up; and I thought I'd pop in during lunch and look for a gift.
As I neared the store, I dug into my coat pocket to search for the keys to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, or We3, as it's affectionately called by locals. I tried to avoid eye contact with the flashy display that greeted me as I enter the store. We3 had been ready for Halloween since the beginning of September. The twins love Halloween and so do I. It was my favorite holiday. The fact that it also doubled as Mum's birthday made it that much better. Ever since the twins could walk they had schemed of ways to scare Mum on her birthday. It was done so often that it had sort of become a family tradition. It may not be the most traditional of ways to celebrate a birthday, but it sure was fun.
The front of the shop was empty as I entered. The shop was littered with portraits for Fred, squeezed in between shelves and displays. They were empty now. I expect Fred was harassing George upstairs in the flat or in the workshop. I folded my coat and stuffed it into one of the employee lockers, trading it for my uniform, which consisted of a green and orange checkered vest with matching cap. Tacky, I know, but that's what all employees have to wear. Securing the cap on my head, I sighed at the mess that greeted me as I walked around the store, making note of what items were running low. Sometimes George forgot to restock all the shelves. It looked like this was one of those times. After finishing my list I headed for the store room.
I was in the middle of restocking the shelves when I heard the sound the bell above the store entrance rang. Alice entered the store. "Good morning Ron," she greeted me warmly.
"Morning," I replied. I waited until she had put her coat away before asking her to give me a hand. No sooner had I gotten the words out then she agreed to help, already refilling the sugar quills. She even got the rest of the staff as the filed in the door to help and soon the whole staff (sans the owners) were stocking. It was near time to open the store when we'd finished. We barely had a moment to admire our work before it was destroyed by the maelstrom of customers. Oh, well all things aren't meant to last fprever.
A little after midday, Hermione stopped by the store."What brings you here?" I asked as we shared a hug. She pulled away and stared at me, looking incredulously.
"Don't tell me you've forgotten about our plans?" Hermione asked, wagging a finger at me.
"Uh, it's not that I forgot that we had plans, it's just that I forgot that we had plans today," I told her lamely.
She brushed off my explaination with a wave of her hand. "It doesn't matter. Can you step away for a bite to eat?"
I smiled and held up my hand. "Five minutes." I nodded, stripping off my vest. Soon I found myself once again walking the streets of Diagon Alley. Hermione chattered away, questioning me about which color my mum likes best, lavender or violet? Hell if I knew, they are looked the same to me.
"What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing," I waved off her concern, turning away from her. I heard her make an annoyed sound. I turned back around and placed an arm over her shoulders. "Let's eat. I'm starved."
"Fine," she agreed, exasperated. If we weren't in public she might have thrown her arms up to vent her frustration. I hugged her fully and walked to the nearest restaruant.
The meal we ordered was simple and delicious. "You need to eat more vegetables," Hermione chastised, eyeballing my steak and chips with distaste.
I blinked. "That's why I ordered the chips."
She scoffed and shook her head. "You're so predictable."
"What? I don't need your permission to eat whatever I want." I replied defensively, stuffing my mouth with wonderfully greasy fried chips.
"I didn't mean that in a bad way, Ron. Only that it's good to know that some things will never change." She smiled weakly as she dug into her Caesar salad. I stared at her for a moment, a warning bell going off in my head.
"I don't see why I should change. I'm bloody perfect the way I am," I joked, trying to work out what had prompted Hermione to look so sad.
"Well, of course you are," Hermione teased, latching onto the joke. "It's everyone else that needs to stop changing, moving forward, progressing to their full potential."
"Damn straight," I agreed, nodding my head. We laughed and finished our meal. I ordered several hot chocolates to got for the We3 staff before we left. I hoped that the hot sugary drink would help them deal with the customers.
It started snowing as Hermione walked with me back to the shop. Strong winds pushed against our backs as we tried to maintain our balance as we stumbled up the street. It got so bad that Hermione and I dashed over to the store front of TerrorTours where, amongst posters of vacation spots for the Bermuda Triangle, we decided it would be best if we went our separate ways. We exchanged kisses on the cheek and promised to see each other soon. Eventually I made my way back to the store, but with the tower of hot drinks I was carrying I had trouble opening the store door. Luckily, I didn't have to wait long until a patron opened the door for me as they were leaving with their purchase.
No sooner had I made it inside then I was ambushed by Alice. "Ron," she grabbed my arm and half dragged, half carried me to the store room out of earshot of the patrons. "And just where the Hell have you been? We've been here swamped and you just run off for an hour."
"Hey, I told you I was stepping out for lunch." I shot back. "Besides, I'm not that late and now you can take your break. I'll cover for you."
Alice brightened at the idea and after accepting her coco, left to take her break.
"Well, that could have been worse," I thought to myself as I pulled on my vest back on. It was the busiest time of the day and chaos reigned for the majority of it.
I loved it here. It was a great way to make extra money while I studied for the offical Auror exam. Plus, most of the customers were old school mates. I would chat as we walked around the glittering displays, inquiring after their lives and relive my school days. Once they made their purchases and went on their way, I'd move onto the next mate. Some days it would be so busy that I wouldn't have time to pine for Harry. I would be the first to admit that I was using my weekend job as an escape from my problems, but really who doesn't bury themselves in something in order not to deal with their issues?
Exactly; no one.
It wasn't until I walked passed the restaurant where I had lunch with Hermione on the way home that I remembered her strange comment about not changing. I made another mental note to ask about it the next time I saw her.
Harry wasn't in when I got home. I wasn't surprised, he usually spent his Saturdays off with Ginny. I walked through our flat and vaugely wondered if he was with her now. I paused in the kitchen doorway and forced myself to think of something else. It was as if I needed to physically stop in order to focus enough to put an end to that train of thought before it took me on a trip I didn't what to take.
Slightly upset with myself I threw my keys on the kitchen counter, and opened a cupboard to grab a bottle of whatever dark soda Harry bought. I took it over to the living room, where I kicked off my shoes and pulled out my wand to perform a freezing charm on it.
Unscrewing the bottle's cap I took a drink and closed my eyes, listening to the sounds of our owls rustling in their cages as the cold sugary drink made me feel better. I opened my eyes after a particularly loud hoot and looked up to the wall clock. There were still a few hours before night fell. Placing the soda on the coffee table I shifted my position on the couch, laying on my back, hoping to squeeze in a quick nap before I had to let the owls out to hunt.
I must have been more tired than I thought, since no sooner had I closed my eyes, than I was awoken two hours later by insistent loud hooting nearby. I jolted to my feet. I had slept longer than I wanted, but the extra time had refreshed me and I leapt over the couch with ease and stood in front of the two birdcages. Both birds growing louder in their excitment as I got closer to their cages.
"Good morning, Nora," I greeted Harry's fish owl. As I opened her cage door, she stepped out and hopped up to the top of her cage, spreading her wings as though she was stretching after a long nap, which I suppose she was, as far as owls go.
I smiled at Nora, she was a beautiful bird. Being a fish-owl she was one of the biggest owls in the world. All browns and grays with a patch of white on her neck. What I like most about her was her broad, ragged ear tuffs which looked like the ears of a rabbit. It's because of her ears that I secretly called her "Bunny," she didn't seem to mind. Her piercing yellow eyes closed as I softly stroked her snow white throat with the backs of my fingers. "You ready for breakfast, Bunny?" I asked.
I heard Pigwidgeon rattling around in hs cage, eager to be free for the evening. "Hold on, Pig. I'm coming." I moved away from Nora and opened my owl's cage door. Pig zoomed out and flew a lap around the apartment. I kept a sharp eye on him as I headed back to the kitchen.
Harry and I chose this apartment complex, because it bordered a park. We needed an area that had enough wild life where the owls wouldn't stand out and also have a sufficient food source. I unlocked the kitchen window's hatch and opened the window as far as it would go.
"All right, have at it," I moved out of the way so Nora and Pig could fly out.
It still amazed me how quiet owls are in flight. The only sound you hear is the air moving under their wings and that's only when they're directly above you.
After I released the birds I returned to the cupboard. "I think it's about time I hunted down my own meal," I mused, holding open the doors I stared at the pantry, comparing which meals would be easy to make verus how appealing that meal would be to eat. I settled on pasta with onions and bacon. It isn't a difficult reciepe and I'm always up for anything with bacon in it.
I gathered the ingredients and turned on the radio, as was my habit when cooking, before putting a pan on a burner. Carefully turning on the electrick stove I added some olive oil to the pan. A Quidditch match was on and I listened to the commentators describe plays as I cooked the bacon and minced the onions and tossed them into the pan. It wasn't long before the whole apartment smelled of bacon and onions.
I was so consumed with the sounds of the match and the progress of my dinner that I hadn't realize Harry had come home until I felt his arms encircle me from behind. Startled by the sudden embrace I yelled out and crushed the tomatoes I had in my hands. The red fruit wasn't the only things destoryed at Harry's hug. The surprise triggered my defensive magic though lucklily my aim was off by miles and instead of jinxing Harry my magic hit the raido. It went haywire as the magic interfered with its electronics and exploded in a little puff of smoke.
"Oops," I heard Harry giggled as he pulled away. I whipped around angry at my spoiled food, though seeing Harry looking so cheerful instantly put me in a forgiving mood. Okay, perhaps I felt a little vengeful, but throwing the remains of the tomatoes at his chest did make me feel loads better.
The shock on Harry's face as the juicy tomatoes stuck to his shirt in clumps before falling onto the floor had me doubled over in laugther.
"Serves you right for ruining my dinner." I managed, collecting my breath. I straightened up, unable to wipe away a grin. There was even tomato in his hair. Harry mirrored my smile but there was a glint in his eyes that was familiar to me, but not because it was one Harry used often. It was the look my brothers had just before they staged a prank. It wasn't hard to figure out what Harry was thinking, I acted quickly, automatically, placing my hands gently on Harry's elbows, serverely restricting his movements. Try throwing tomato at me now, I silently challenged.
As if he heard me, Harry grinned widened and he lunged forward, wrapping me in a gooey hug. I sucked in a breath as the cold mushy fruit oozed through my shirt. I felt him chuckling at my discomfort and I did the only thing I could in that type of situation, I returned the hug, interlocking my fingers on his back so he couldn't break free and rested my chin on the top of his head. I wanted to make sure he got as much of the tomato on
him as possible, or at least as much as me.
It didn't occur to me that something was wrong until I heard Harry gasp and squirm uncomfortably in my arms, the way he tensed up at my embrace made me think his discomfort was from the tomato. "You okay?" I asked, loosening my grip.
He took a few steps back, his eyes slightly wider, like he wanted to tell me something without actually having to say it. "Yeah," he answered slowly, his gaze quickly drifted down to my mouth before going back to my eyes. "I'm fine."
Was he remembering the kiss we agreed to forgot happened? The thought made me press my lips together and my mouth watered suddenly. I swallowed, noting Harry watching my throat move as I did. His mouth twitched at the corners as he regarded me with a look that I considered one of interest, and perhaps, confusion? It was hard to tell while I tried not to gag on my own spit. "Good," I replied, clearing my throat with a cough. "Because you owe me dinner."
Harry refocused on my eyes and grinned, a much more relaxed and natural smiled. "Fine. We can go out and get something." He countered, his eyes bright and cheerful once more. "You can replace my radio on the way back."