Written for the Bloody Hell competition by Weasley Seeker at the Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenge forum.

First person Ron Weasley point of view.

A special thanks is needed to those grown up fans of Harry Potter at The Teacher's Lounge forum for helping me with ideas for this story.

You Guys ROCK!

This story is for them since they helped me with it.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize.

I wiped my eyebrows, exhausted. I had just finished battling a Boggart for Auror training. Harry made the Boggart take the form of a Death Eater by having one of the younger trainees stand in front of it. Even though the Second Wizarding War was over, Harry informed us recruits that we still needed to be on alert.

I really didn't understand why I had to train along with new recruits instead of going straight to an Auror position like Harry did. Honestly, I think he got through because he killed the Dark Lord himself, but I would never say that out loud. It wasn't fair how I had to train; I mean I did fight in the battle. I do know how to kill a Death Eater. I did kill one or two during battle, but they seemed to have forgotten all of this.

I could feel sweat beading my forehead as I defeated the pretend Death Eater. I wasn't as young as I was three years ago and was getting older, so moving around like this was beginning to become harder for me. I sighed as Harry came over to me.

"Good job Ron. You're getting better at it." Harry said as he patted my shoulder. I shrugged him off.

"I don't understand why in the bloody hell I have to 'train' with the others, Harry. I did fight in the war you know." I sighed, letting Harry know I was frustrated, as I picked up my wand that had fallen in the fake battle.

"Ron, with the new group of recruits, you have to train. You just joined where as I've been an Auror for three years now. He knows you fought in the war. We've been through this before. Kingsley feels everyone should be trained for 'just in case' reasons." Harry moved the next recruit up to take over my spot.

"I still think I don't need training." I scowled at Harry and then frowned.

"We've been through this Ron. Healey- take over, practice a bit with the others, I'm going to take a break."

Healey, the recruit from Germany, nodded and stood in front of the class.

"Let's go outside, Ron."

Harry and I were at a secret location for Auror training. Harry made me promise not to tell Hermione, and that I'd be back sometime during the middle of summer. All I knew was they were somewhere far away from Diagon Alley.

"Have you heard from Hermione yet?" Harry asked me as he leaned against the building.

"No. She still hasn't given me an answer."

"Then that's what is distracting you. You're worried she'll say no." Harry crossed his arms and stared at me.

"What do you mean distracting me?" I was confused. I could feel the sun beat down on my back as I stood in front of Harry.

"When you were trying to attack that death eater boggart, you kept stumbling over your own feet. That's when I knew you weren't really serious-I mean concentrating enough." Harry looked away from me. I could tell he was disappointed.

"Serious? You think I'm not serious? Is that why Kingsley wants me to train? Bloody hell. My own brother died in the war. Shouldn't that be a reason enough to help track down the death eaters that escaped? I think I'm bloody serious about wanting to become an Auror." I yelled at Harry and started to pace. I could feel my temper rising. Controlling my temper was one thing I wasn't very good at.

"You don't need to bring up Fred dying every time we argue Ron. I was there remember?" Harry yelled back.

"Then why in hell can't I join like you?"

"Know what? Fine. I'll talk to Kingsley just so you can get off my back about it. I think you need a weekend pass at home for a while." Harry said in anger. He pushed away from the wall and stopped me from pacing back and forth.

"Weekend pass? It's only Wednesday." I knew where this was going. He wanted me to take about a week's break to sort things out with Hermione so I could get serious again about becoming an Auror.

"Exactly. You're too distracted to think properly Ron. I think you need a break for a weekend." Harry was serious. Frowning seemed to be my thing of the moment, because what Harry just said made me frown again. I couldn't help but stomp my foot like a child and glowered at Harry in frustration.

"Who says you're in charge? It's up to Kingsley."

"I am head Auror after all." Harry stated.

"And an arse. You want me to leave? Fine. I'll leave. Don't expect me back on Monday." I knew I'd stir up trouble with Harry for calling him an arse, but Harry would get over it. Once he stepped down from his high horse, that is. He sometimes threw in my face the fact that he was in charge and I wasn't. I hated when he did that.

"Calm down Ron." Harry tried comforting me, but it wasn't working.

"Me? Calm down? Look at you. You're the one who isn't calming down. You think you're all high and mighty just because you're head Auror. I'm bloody tired of that."

"Ron!" Harry warned.

"Fine. I'll leave."

I Disapparated to the Auror training quarters. I was thankful I requested a room to myself. I packed my bag, not paying attention to what I had in it. I just threw everything together.

Instead of going home, like I should have, I Disapparated again to The Leaky Cauldron. Outside the cauldron, I breathed in and out, trying to calm down. My temper could sometimes get the worst of me causing me to say things I would regret later. Oh well. I'd make it up to Harry, somehow.

Picking up my bag, I walked into the Leaky Cauldron and went straight to the bar. I wasn't a fan of drinking, but I knew I needed one firewhiskey to let off some steam from the argument with Harry. I sure as hell wasn't in the mood for talking to anyone so when someone sat down next to me, I didn't look up from the bottle Hannah Abbot had just handed me. I really wasn't in the mood to talk.

"Aren't you supposed to be training?" A smirk came after the question. I rolled my eyes, remembering who the voice belonged to.

"Cormac McLaggen. What a surprise." I said in a tone that warned him I wasn't ready to talk.

"You don't sound happy to see me." Cormac smiled.

"I'm not."

"Word on the street is that you've asked Granger to marry you."

"That's none of your business." I felt the anger rising once more. This was one subject I didn't want to talk about. I knew he had a thing for Hermione back in sixth year when I was dating Lavender, but I didn't know he still was trying to get her attention. This statement of his had my attention and I turned to face Cormac.

"Really? I find it my business to keep track of fellow Gryffindors."

"Bugger off." I couldn't think of anything else to say so I turned back to the counter.

"Bugger off? Really Weasley, that sounds like a childish thing to say. You couldn't come up with a better insult?"

My anger was at the breaking point as I turned once more to face him.

"Oh I have other things to say, I just can't say them in the presence of a lady." I eyed Hannah who was within ear shot. Catching the hint, Cormac got off the bar stool.

"Let's take this outside, then." He eyed the door and expected me to follow.

"I'm not going to fight." I said shaking my head. "I have better things to do than fight someone like you."

"Why not? You can show us the 'Auror training' you've been doing." Cormac used quotation marks when he said the word 'Auror training' I knew what that meant. Yet another person who didn't think I was serious about Auror training.

"That's it." I said picking up my bag. I laid a Galleon down on the counter and eyed Hannah.

"So, let's go outside." Cormac said as he thought I was going to follow him.

"No. I mean that's it. I'm going home. I don't need to be here with you." I took my wand, ready to Apparate, when I heard Cormac snicker.

"Figures, it takes a Weasley to back out of a fight." Cormac smirked for what felt like the third time. I clenched my fists tightly, and lunged for him, aiming right in the face, causing him to fall to the floor.

"First of all, Weasleys don't back out of fight. We just know when to stop one that is about to fight. Second. Don't you dare tear down my family name. And third, leave me the bloody hell alone." I saw blood coming from his nose, turned to Hannah and laid another Galleon down on the counter. "Sorry, Hannah." I muttered and Disapparated from the Leaky Cauldron.

As soon as I was back at the Burrow, I threw my left hand down and wiggled my fingers. Cormac had a hard face. I hurt my hand when I punched him. I cringed as I tried to wiggle my fingers again. They hurt really badly. I knew I had to get some kind of ice on them to keep them from swelling up. I walked up to the door of my childhood home and walked on in without even knocking knowing I'd be welcomed back.

"Ron!" My sister Ginny came towards me as she made her way from the kitchen. She gave me a hug and stared at my hand once she pulled away from me.

"What happened to your hand?" She asked eying it, taking it into her own hands.

Thank goodness for Ginny. She always knew how to help me control my temper. She was on leave from Quidditch because she was pregnant with their first child.

"I got in a fight with Cormac McLaggen." I stated as I threw my bag down on the floor.

"I can see that. What was it over? You know he's been trying to get Hermione's attention since you've been gone, right?" Ginny led me into the kitchen, sat me down at the table and went to the sink to get a wet rag. Ginny's information was news to me.

"No wonder she hasn't responded to my request yet." I said sadly, hoping to get some kind of sympathy.

"No Ron, you idiot, she's been busy trying to get the house elves better benefits." Ginny came from the sink and wrapped my left hand in the cool cold water.

"Thank you." I said as I felt the water work its wonders on my hand.

"Harry told me he told you to get a break for the weekend. Are you going back home or staying here?" Ginny had been staying with Mum since Harry started helping the new recruits.

"I didn't want to take a break." I admitted. There was something about Ginny that always brought out the truth in me.

"I know you didn't. He asked me to keep an eye on you."

"I don't need keeping an eye on. I'm perfectly capable of doing things my own way."

"So getting in a fight was doing things your own way?"

"Don't go there. I don't need everyone in the bloody world arguing with me today. Where is Mum? I'm hungry." I looked around noticing Mum hadn't walked in.

"She's at Fred's grave again." Ginny took the cloth off my hand to check it. I wiggled my fingers feeling slightly better.

"Again?"

"She's been going there ever since the third anniversary of his death. Dad's worried about her, but doesn't say anything." Ginny glanced out the kitchen window.

"I don't know if I should go home. I don't think Hermione would want me there. She hasn't written back yet." I laid my hands on the table, and rested my head onto them.

"I told you, she's been busy. We all have." I noticed Ginny was staring out the window again.

"I suppose I should get home. It is getting close to dinner time. Hermione wouldn't be expecting me."

"Ron, everything will be okay. It just takes time for things to work out."

"I know. I just wish people would believe me when I tell them I'm serious about becoming an Auror." I muttered as I stood up from the table. I gave Ginny another quick hug.

"I should head home and surprise Hermione."

"I think you should cook dinner for her. She's had a rough week."

"Right. I'll remember that. Thanks Gin." I said to my sister as I picked up my bag and disapparated home.

Author's note: I will continue this. I plan on having this at least a three chaptered story. I don't know when I'll update this. Please Review.

Special thanks to AllShadesOfGrey for beta'ing this.