"I didn't want to leave without talking to you so I begged Harry for the chance to see you, fortunately the Grangers are having a night out with the Lupins and Blacks otherwise I'd be still in that room."
"Harry and Hermione told me why you all split, is it true?"
"Millie I won't lie to you, I didn't do anything but knew what mum was planning and would have went along with it. I have been an idiot, arsehole and any other words you want to put in there, it cost me my friends and my sister but last night the price was too high. The thought of losing you was the shock that my selfish system badly needed, I haven't slept or eaten since making you cry and I'm willing to crawl over hot coals just to be with you again."
Millie had the beginning of tears in her eyes, "you really hurt me last night Ron, I can't go back to the way things were."
"I don't want to go back Millie, I want to go forward with you at my side. Being betrothed means that you intend to spend the rest of your life with that person and that's what I want more than anything. When you asked me those questions last night I just panicked and my brain shut down, I'm not the cleverest person in the world and it takes a while for some things to sink in. Watching you cry hurt me more than Pettigrew's knife ever could, I love you Millie and am so proud of my betrothed I'll stand up on this table and announce it to everyone here if it would make you happy."
Millie had tears streaming down her face as Roy felt hands bite into each of his shoulders and looked up into the hard gazes of Neville and Harry.
"Hold on a moment guys," Millie said before grabbing Ron by the front of his robes and pulling him across the table to kiss him senseless, after they were done she spoke to the two wizards without ever taking her eyes off Ron, "sorry guys but I'm going to have to disappoint you both, I'm keeping him!"
Neville laughed while Harry's comment about a 'good cliff going to waste' was only partially in jest.
Ron was holding both her hands on the table, "are you sure Millie?" her nod lifted a great weight off Ron as he smiled at his betrothed, "Luna was right, you are too good for me. Your new look is fabulous love, I didn't mention it sooner in case I gave the impression that was the only reason I wanted to make-up."
She leaned over and whispered in his ear, "wait till you see what I'm wearing underneath."
Ron's eyes glazed over as his imagination went into overdrive, using strength of will he didn't know he possessed he shook his head and had to apologise to his betrothed.
"I'm sorry love, Harry's done me a great favour I don't deserve by letting me stay here to speak to you, for us to do anything that breached his hospitality would be like spitting in his face. As much as I want to, I just couldn't do it."
Ron found himself being hauled over the table again and the recipient of another snog that registered on the Richter scale.
"Could you tell me what I did to deserve that so I can try and make a habit of it?"
"You thought of others before yourself, you're learning."
"I had two five-year-olds very successfully point out the error of my ways today, I'll introduce you to my new friends Joanne and Kathleen later."
"If they're anything like Joan I can't wait."
They had finally calmed down enough for their food to arrive though Ron still had one major item to discuss, "Millie I think Harry would let you attend here and I think you should, it's a far better school than Hogwarts and we could still see each other at Hogsmead weekends. He might even let me come here to see you once in a while, I know he'll never forgive me and I understand why but he's not vindictive. What do you think?"
"My place is at my betrothed's side, would you leave me to come here?"
Ron's immediate reply of "never!" earned him another searing kiss.
Roger was sitting watching the couple with murder running through his mind; he would have been in there if that carrot-topped dickhead hadn't showed up. He may have lost this battle but if Bulstrode stayed here she would be his, he was actually shocked she chose Weasley over him tonight. Roger usually got his way with the younger girls, then it was time to move on to the next one - or two as his eyes settled on the Patel twins.
A dunt in his back caused him to turn as he found himself confronted by Lovegood, but this girl was no loony.
"Had Harry asked my opinion you would never have been anywhere near the Institute but as this is a second chance for everyone I'm prepared to give you the benefit of the doubt. All the younger girls in Ravenclaw were well warned about you and while you might be able to get away with collecting girls like trophies in Hogwarts the same does not apply here. This is a much smaller school where we all look out for one another, there's no place for a Lothario here. Millicent has made her choice and you will respect it otherwise, instead of another notch in your headboard you'll be looking for another school as you'll get your arse kicked right out of the Institute."
Roger wanted to tell this girl to go screw herself but something in her eyes told him this might not be a wise choice so he just gave a grunt and turned back round to the table.
Lee Jordan was bursting with anger, "look Roger, we only added your name because you begged us to get out of that place, Harry and Hermione have went to a lot of trouble to bring us here and I for one am bloody grateful. I phoned home today and it's all over the British wizarding papers that they not only fought Voldemort last night but also took down Dumbledore to; Harry snapped both their wands in the great hall. Slughorn was arrested for abusing students and the ministry is going to take over the running of Hogwarts from Monday. Do you really want to go back to that because if you screw with Harry or any of his friends that's your best option, assuming you leave here alive that is."
Roger was torn, on the one hand the Institute was far superior to Hogwarts of even his first year but on the other he'd just been told in no uncertain terms that his 'love them and leave them' policy wasn't going to be tolerated here. He now realised the disadvantage of attending a school where the owners were students, they knew bloody everything that went on in the place.
....
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