Time After Time. *Complete*

Chapter Seven - Hex Your Ass To Monday

"Ronald, could you stop shaking?" Andi groaned as her legs, which were lying over his, moved up and down. "I'm trying to touch up my lippy, and you're making it impossible!"

"So?" Ron snapped, glancing at the girl before turning back and staring out the window again.

"Humph," she huffed, standing up. "I'll use the bathroom mirror then." She blew him a kiss even though he wasn't looking and left the compartment.

Ginny waited to the girl was gone, listening to her ridiculously high heels clicking as she went. "Why did you bring her?" She asked, turning to her brother.

He shrugged. "It said to bring your partner." He gestured to the door. "So I did."

"You didn't even know her name," Harry pointed out. "You called her Amy."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Well, I knew it started with A." He rubbed his sweaty palms down his cord trousers and checked his watch. "How long to we are there?" He needed another drink, but he had already finished the bottle in his jacket, and the rest were in his case.

"I think we are only a few miles away now," Ginny said. "Should only be a few more minutes."

Harry cleared his throat. While he was excited to see everyone again, he was nervous. Going back to Hogwarts meant facing his past. Remembering the battle. The lives destroyed or lost by the devastation.

When Hermione came bursting into the Burrow that day almost 10 years ago with her letter for their final year, Harry had felt conflicted. He was determined to move on and have at least one final year at Hogwarts before graduating and heading off into the real world. But he found it wasn't the same. The school was rebuilt, but the memories still haunted the halls.

He enjoyed his final year. He did. He got to spend the year focusing on his school work instead of some impending doom. He got to pretend to be a normal 18 year old wizard boy for a change. He got to make new memories with Hermione and Ginny.
He got to resolve conflicts with Draco Malfoy, something he never thought would happen. He got to help make the memorial for those who hadn't made it. But each night, as he lay down in his dorm, he would see their faces. He would dream about them, talk to them, and when he woke up, he felt exhausted as if he hadn't slept at all.

It wasn't until Hermione suggested, well, no demand, he spoke to a counsellor that he started to heal, even a little bit. Enough to at least let him sleep.

But now, as the train slowly pulled into the station, he suddenly felt uneasy again. Like this weekend was not going to be the fun filled few days Ginny expected. Like something would happen. Not that he knew what. But being an Auror, Harry spent half his time these days worried about evil forces and what they could be plotting.

"Why are you so jittery?" Ginny asked, kicking Ron gently in the leg. She had been watching him the whole journey and could see that he was constantly unsettled, running his hand through his hair or playing with his hands. He looked nervous. Or may he was craving something.

Ron may have had everyone else fooled in the family, but not Ginny. She knew that he hadn't quite drinking cold turkey. She knew he was lying. She knew he still drank - daily, but he hid it well. He would constantly brush his teeth and spray aftershave. He would smile and be the idelic son when he was visiting their parents. He never let anyone know how badly he was suffering.

Albus was now 3 years old, and Ron had never even held him. Ginny wouldn't allow it. Every single time he visited Grimauld Place, he broke whatever cup he was holding, and more than once, he walked right into the doorframe rather than the doorway.

"I'm not jittery," Ron snapped, standing up. "I am just excited to see the castle again. I haven't been back here from.. from the war." He looked out the window at the station as people began moving onto the platform.