After All, Harry

stupid

"You what?" Ron cried, his eyes wide in disbelief. He was expecting something bad, but not Harry and Ginny breaking up. That wasn't something that was supposed to happen—they rarely ever fought, and when they did it was usually resolved within the hour! Ron didn't expect them to ever break up—and he didn't expect Harry to be the one to break up with her (no offense, Harry). And as much as he hated to admit it, he'd expected them to get married and have lots of ginger and black headed babies. (he'd never say that last part out loud).

Harry looked incredibly distraught and pained, and as much as Ron wanted to hit him for hurting his sister (he didn't even want to imagine how Ginny was feeling), he couldn't help but feel awful for his best mate. Harry looked up, shaking his head as if he too couldn't believe that he'd done that, "I know! I know...I can't even think about it—I'm so stupid!"

Ron didn't know what to say, so he rubbed his back, "C'mon, why don't you just tell me what happened, why'd you two fight?" He wanted to get the gist of what was going on, he didn't very well want to be comforting Harry if he was in the wrong.

"I don't even know!" Harry exclaimed, his expression indignant.

Ron blinked. "Of course you know!"

Harry sighed, kissing his teeth and turning to face his friend. His eyes were tired and his eyebrows were pulled down in stress. "Ginny doesn't trust me!" Harry explained, shaking his head and wrapping his head in his arms as he sat on the couch, "She doesn't trust me anymore!"

Ron was left even more lost than before, "What?" Harry was probably one of the people that Ginny trusted most, and vice versa.

Harry took a deep breath, as if he needed a moment to say what he needed to say, "She thought I was messing around with Cho! I'm helping them get married!" He put his hands in his hair and started rocking back and forth as if he was trying to get himself to not cry.

Ron paused. What? Ron knew Harry was just being polite with Cho, Harry'd already told Ron he didn't particularly think of Cho and Dudley as the best of friends to him—but he was going to be nice. He thought Ginny felt the same way—Ginny rarely showed any jealous tendencies. If anything, she was the least jealous out of all the Weasley children. And of Cho? Harry and Cho dated for maybe two months four years ago! "What do you mean—'messing around with Cho'?" Ron asked, just to be clear. Harry flushed, shaking his head.

"As in, er—hooking up with her." Harry said flatly, and Ron blinked. He supposed his silence made Harry think he didn't get it, "As in like sex? You know?"

"Yes! I do know, now please stop talking about you hooking up with Cho, it's causing me physical pain." Ron said, closing his eyes and shaking his head. Harry still looked indignant.

"I haven't even felt anything for Cho since I was fifteen! We all know how that ended," Harry continued, his voice low and shaky, "She thought that every time I went over to Dudley and Cho's flat—I was only going to be with her!" Harry let out a small noise of frustration and took a big swig of firewhiskey, shaking his head.

Ron paused to think, "Well..." He began, and Harry looked up immediately.

"What?" His eyes looked tired. Ron gulped.

"Hermione told me you were coming home late a lot—and Cho and Dudley were usually the excuse." Ron said, trying to make his tone light and not judgmental. He didn't want to make anyone mad.

"What are you saying?" Harry asked, his voice confused and a bit anxious. Ron was oblivious, but he wasn't that oblivious! Ron knew Harry wasn't stupid, but when it came to this situation, he certainly acted like it.