How I Met Your Father

Chapter 2

"And I am never going anywhere with you again, you tosser!"

Ginny jumped and Harry released his hold on her as a red-faced Ron came barrelling into the flat, followed by an unrepentant Blaise.

"You were talking about sweat!" Blaise protested, holding his hands up as if pleading for divine intervention. He looked like he didn't know whether to laugh or cringe. "What was I supposed to do? That poor girl looked fit to bolt."

"What's going on?" Harry asked before Ron could retaliate.

Ron turned to him, still scowling. "You know how I'm finally trying to move on after Hermione ran off and left my heart a pile of ashes scattered in the winds of despair?"

"Sure," Harry obliged. From the corner of his eye, he caught Ginny rolling her eyes.

Ron either didn't notice or didn't care. He pointed accusingly at Blaise. "I was talking to a girl at the Leaky and he jumped in and got her owl address! It's the third time this week!"

"Really?" Ginny sighed and fixed Blaise with an exasperated look. "Again? Blaise, why do you insist on taking him out if you're just going to rack-jack him?"

"It was an impulse," Blaise protested. "I said I was sorry."

In Harry's humble opinion, he didn't look very sorry at all.

"Besides, it's a sickness," Blaise went on airily. "If you think about it, I'm the victim here. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a date with that little crumpet from the Leaky. Ta, children!"

"My crumpet!" Ron snapped. "You took my crumpet!"

Blaise waved him a cheerful goodbye and Disapparated with a sharp crack, right before Ron's well aimed cushion could connect with his face. As was practice, his departure left an awkward silence among the rest of the group. Ron groaned and slumped face-down on the sofa. Harry shared a weary look with Ginny and approached, giving him a brotherly pat on the shoulder.

"Come on, Ron. Blaise is just being...well, Blaise. At least you went out, right? That's definitely a step up."

Ron just sighed and rolled over. "It's not about Blaise. Honestly, I'm glad he's around. At least if the tosser's out chatting up every girl in the bar, I don't have to talk to them, you know?"

Ginny shook her head. "Ron, you know that's not healthy. No one's asking you to move on so soon, but the least you can do is meet some new people."

"I don't want new people," Ron mumbled thickly. "I want...I want Hermione."

Harry sighed and exchanged a helpless look with his girlfriend. He had been hoping that Ron would bounce back eventually. Ron was like that, he could roll with the punches. But this time around, it just wasn't happening. Three months later and Ron was still going through the motions with a miserable look on his face and a Hermione shaped hole in his heart. Harry was at his wits end. They had tried everything - talking, nights out at the bar, old movies. In these three months, a set of unspoken agreements had surfaced in the group. Keep Ron occupied. Do not bring up the H word. Get him through this. But it just wasn't working. Harry was at a total loss as to what to do or say anymore. There were times when he had to physically quell the ridiculously ironic impulse to find Hermione and ask her advice on how to handle this.

It was time to face facts.

She wasn't there anymore. The sooner Ron got that into his head, the better it would be. For everyone.

This time, Ginny took the lead.

"Well, I'm sorry but she isn't here," she told him firmly. She marched over and grabbed Ron's shoulders, giving him a stern look. "Now you listen to me. You're my brother and I love you but so help me Merlin, if you don't shape up and fast, I will call Mum and have her knock some sense into you. Are we clear?"