The Centaur Clan

Seventeen- Home

When Ron pulls away, he looks to the ground. "You broke up with me in a letter, and Harry did the same to Ginny. That was cruel."

Hermione smiles. "That's what Kingsley said. But Ron, we have so much to talk about, believe me. So much has happened, and I can't evem digest it myself yet."

Ron hesitantly takes her hand. "Then don't. We can sleep, and you can worry about digesting things in the morning." His eyes search hers. "Please. Everything has been hectic, and I just need something normal, like falling asleep to a corny movie with you. I haven't seen you in nearly a month, I've been a wreck- please."

She nods. "Okay. Honestly, I think I need a little normal too."

*          *          *

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were in desperate need of catching up, and explanations needed to be made. There was no shortage of people who had been worried about Harry and Hermione's disappearance- the Weasley's, Neville, Seamus, Dean, the Patils, much of the Ministry, and all of their other loved ones. McGonagall too had been worried, and they were told that she'd nearly blown up on Kingsley once everynoe had gotten wind of their disappearance.

Every single one of them needed to hear the real story, all of the facts, and they needed to hear it straight from Harry and Hermione. If rumors went around, and they all knew they would, no one would know the truth of their absence. However, much of the story was already out to the public.

The Daily Prophet had written about Rodolphus Lestrange, who was put back into Azkaban under stronger watch, and how he had been found, captured, and was guilty for the capture of Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. They knew that he was guilty for attempted murder, they knew he'd tortured them, and yet somehow, they even knew and had learned about how he'd pressured the centaur clan that roamed the woods into capturing them. They knew that the centaurs had lost their leader, Sibelius.

Harry and Hermione figured they'd gathered this much from Kingsley, who had been told the whole story.

Things with Ron and Ginny still needed to be straightened out, and for that to happen, things between Harry and Hermione had to be straightened out as well.

Harry hadn't the slightest clue where he and Hermione were in their relationship. She still loved Ron, or at least, she had when they were with Rodolphus. But she loved Harry a different way than she ever had before. Harry didn't know how, but he already knew that he had fallen out of love with Ginny- there was no doubt about it. He loved her like a sister, and intended for it to stay that way, regardless of Hermione's decision.

Ginny knew that their relationship was over, and no matter how heart broken she was, she let it go. They'd sat down and talked about it, much to her relief, and their status wasn't left to the hands of a letter written before an expected death.

"Ginny?"

She'd turned her head to see Harry, finally awake and his hair a mess. As he stumbled into the kitchen in his pajamas, rubbing his eyes as he put his glasses, her heart panged painfully- this was all too familiar. This had happened every morning back when they were engaged. But everything was all too different know.

She offers up a weak smile. "Morning. Look Harry, I don't mean to be rash, but-"

"But we need to talk about where we stand." He nods. "I know. And first, I want you to know how sorry I am for breaking up with you in a letter, that was a crap move and I know it. But I thought I was going to die, and I wanted you to know the truth, and I wanted you to hear it from me." He presses his palms into his eyelids. "While we were with the centaurs, something happened with Hermione. I don't know when it started, but... I'm sorry, Gin, it's really hard for me to explain."