It was the summer before Ron Weasley was due to start his sixth year; the sun was blazing, the trees swaying in the summer breeze. It was the sort of day you would expect to find families sunbathing out in their gardens, the children giggling with fun as they splash around in their paddling pool.
However, Ron was neither sunbathing nor swimming, and instead was stuck with the horrid job of de-gnoming the garden. On his own.
"Stupid Buggers," he muttered angrily, throwing a bald ugly looking thing 50 feet. "Why do they keep coming back?"
More gnomes were poking their heads out of bushes and holes, and Ron groaned loudly. More? Seriously, more? He had been out here for at least an hour, yet more gnomes were popping up.
"All right Ron?"
Ron jumped suddenly, causing the gnome he had in his hand to bite his finger. "Fuck," he muttered, kicking the gnome as it stumbled away, laughing with glee.
He turned around, finding his oldest brother Bill, standing a short distance away from him, his long red hair tied back into a ponytail. He was looking at Ron with a slight look of amusement on his face.
"You made me jump," Ron said, walking towards his cursebreaker of a brother.
Bill laughed, folding his arms. "Yeah, sorry about that; Mum wanted me to come and talk to you; she said you haven't be the same since you came home.." Bill's voice trailed off, but he kept his eyes on Ron.
"Oh, she said that did she?" Ron asked, sighing, and taking a seat on the ground.
"Yeah," Bill said, nodding, sitting down beside him. "So.. what's bothering you?"
Ron didn't reply straight away. Instead, he just looked off into the distance, over the hill, thinking.
"Ron?" Bill said, after a few minutes of silence.
Ron took a breath, and looked towards Bill. Could he possibly admit it to Bill? He didn't have to say who obviously, but Bill could help.. right? He had lots of experience with women, Ron knew that for a fact, and now he was engaged to Fleur Delacour. And Bill wouldn't tell anyone either.. would he? No, he wouldn't. Ron knew he wouldn't.
"I just.. realized something at the end of last year and it's changed everything." It was poor, he knew it was, but Bill would pick up on it.
"What sort of thing?"
Okay, maybe not.
"Well, I sort of, I'm not sure but, well, urghhh," Ron's head fell in his hands. "There's this, this girl. And I've known for her ages then things started getting weird."
"How weird?"
"I don't know. It started off small, like I thought she looked nice or something, but then I was thinking stuff like, 'Damn, she's beautiful!' and 'What would it be like to kiss her?' Really weird stuff. But then, at the end of last year, I realized that I, well, that I liked her. More than a friend."
Bill sighed, nodding. "Is it the girl I think it is?"
Ron's head shot up, his eyes meeting Bill's. The knowing look in Bill's eye made Ron twinge with anxiety. Maybe he said too much.. did Bill know who he was talking about? Was it obvious?
Ron shrugged. "I don't know, depends who you're thinking," he mumbled.
Bill looked in deep thought for a moment, but then a grin spread on his face. "Can I describe her too you?"
Ron gulped, then nodded.
"Well, the girl I'm thinking of is smart, muggleborn and has bushy brown ha-"
"Okay, okay!" Ron half shouted, his ears burning red. "I get it!"
Bill laughed. "So it's her then, huh?"
Ron nodded, his ears going even redder.
"Well, what are you going to do about it?"
Ron stared at Bill in shock. "Nothing! She's my best-friend! I'm not going to do anything! It'll ruin our friendship, I know it will! I'll just pretend that everything's fine."
"She'll realize something is up; she's smart, remember?"
"Of course I frickin remember!" Ron said, angrily.
"Well, she'll realize something isn't right! Especially when you're acting like a daft monkey around her!"
Ron glared at him. "Well what do you suggest I do then, Love Whisperer?!"
Bill shrugged. "Tell her," he said simply.
"No," Ron said stubbornly.
"Fine then, don't tell her."
"That's better!"
"Look, just don't think too much. Act calm around her, and be nicer than usual."
"I am nice!"
"Just be a bit nicer!"
"Fine!"
Bill sighed before standing up. "Look Ron, don't do anything stupid, okay?"
"'Right," Ron said, standing up. "And don't mention it to anyone? Please?"
Bill nodded, patting Ron on the back. "'Course I won't."
"Thanks," Ron mumbled.
2 years later
Ron wandered out of the Burrow, and slumped down onto the slightly damp grass. His red hair blew in the breeze, and it was calming.
A minute later, he felt somebody drop down beside him. Glancing to his left, he saw Bill staring straight ahead of himself, a smile on his face.
"Finally, huh?" He said, still staring straight.
Ron chuckled, looking towards the ground. "Yeah, finally, after many more mistakes."
Bill smirked. "Yeah well, don't make anymore, right?"
Ron nodded. "Right."
He stood up, and walked back into the Burrow. Sitting at the kitchen table was the bushy haired smart girl he had grown to love. She looked up at him and smiled.
He smiled back and walked over, and gently kissed her lips.
Finally.