He was dressed as lion, she noticed that right away. Of course he was, she was well aware of his deep rooted need to prove himself and his bravery constantly. Never the matter that he was Harry Potter's best friend, an expert strategist, solid Quidditch player, and an all around decent guy. It was the fact that even she automatically thought to describe him first as Harry Potter's best friend. She understood where that would cause insecurity, especially given he had already been competing against five brothers his whole life, much less The Boy Who Lived. She was fortunate that she and Pavarti had been sorted into separate houses, and therefore, led somewhat separate of lives and held different interests. They were different people.

He was handsome. She saw that now. The boy that had once asked her, grudgingly, to accompany him on a double date to the Yule Ball with her sister and Harry, he had been gangly and pale and...kind of an ass.

They hadn't danced once, he had sulked and hunched in the corner awkwardly most of the night, jealous and insecure, while she sat beside him equally as insecure, equally as awkward. Pavarti had always been the social butterfly, she was good in these sort of situations. Padma was just...she did better in smaller settings.

It wasn't until he huffed for what seemed like the thousandth time that she turned to him in agitation.

"Why don't you just go if you are so miserable!" She had demanded angrily, adjusting her turquoise robes. "You obviously have somewhere else you would rather be!"

"M-m-me?" Ron sputtered incredulously. "You haven't smiled once this whole night! You've been glaring down anyone who came near you all night!"

"I have not-" she paused. She did have a bad habit of looking angry all the time..."Fine; whatever, it's just my face! But being here with you- it's not the worst thing in the world, but to be honest, I'm just not much of a dance person...it's awkward. This is awkward."

"Me either," Ron muttered. "I'd rather play quidditch or"

"Chess," they both said at the same time and glanced at each other, blushing.

"You play?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Every day," he nodded. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Me too!"

"Really? Are you any good?"

"I'm the best back home," she jutted her chin out proudly, "and I'm top reigning champ in all of Ravenclaw."

"I bet I could take you," he scoffed and she smirked at him.

"Then what are you waiting for? Let's just see who is best," she stood up, her robes swirling around her. He had stared at her incredulously for a few seconds before getting up and following her out.

They had played for hours that night, until curfew prevented them from continuing and they had called a draw, to be continued after Christmas break.

Now here they were, willingly attending another ball together. So much happened in the two years, they had fallen together, through occasional chess tournaments and games, joining Dumbledore's Army...becoming real friends.

Days in the room of Requirement last year, when their group would gather and decompress, and always would Padma and Ron be in the corner, leading armies of life size chess pieces against each other. And then Ron had asked her to lunch on Valentines Day, and it had been a real date, hadn't it?

"Thank you for inviting me," she had said softly over their large mugs of butterbeer, surrounded by the noise of the Three Broomsticks. He had smiled at her and cast a charm with the flick of his wand, so that the noise was drowned out and they had a little slice of peace in their corner booth.

"There isn't anyone else I would rather spend my time with," he told her as the tips of his ears turned red. She had blushed then, thinking he looked a lot better and kinder than he did the previous year.

And when they had been raided by the Inquisitorial Squad, Ron had been by her side, stepping in front of her slightly, and he had turned and given her that look. That look of: "don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." The same look when they had been learning how to cast the patronus charm during Harry and Jamie's lessons.

When she had gone with him to the Departments of Mysteries and when they held hands the entire way back to school, and then back home for the summer holidays.

He wrote her every week in the summer, one day, he sent her a carved rook he had made, her favorite piece. She always kept it in her pocket.

So how had she fallen in love with Ron Weasley?

Slowly, and then all at once, as the saying went.

She knew what was at stake, with his role with the war, and she knew that she couldn't be his top priority for some time. It didn't matter to her, didn't matter when he returned from the summer before 6th year, nearly six inches taller, and built. Oh boy, was he built, and he could tan! Slightly, but he was warmed, and covered in freckles and muscles, and she had wanted to kiss him! But they hadn't kissed yet, but she suddenly realized they needed to. She needed to.

They had met at King's across, and he had nearly run to her, sweeping her into his arms. She had buried her face in his neck, feeling his hands stroke her hair, felt his lips briefly touch the crown of her head. He smelled like clean laundry, like lemons, like something a little sweet and a little earthy...like a home.

"I missed you so much," his voice rumbled as her insides turned to goo. If she wasn't constricted by her robes she would have wrapped her legs around him and asked for a forever with him right there.

And now here they were, months later, at another Yule Ball together.

He was still insecure sure, but he was changing, maturing. A Quidditch Star in his own right, and a prefect like her. Ron Weasley was not someone to be overlooked, she had learned quickly not to ever overlook him; and she hoped he realized that too now.

"You look gorgeous," he held his hand out to her and moved her in a circle, spinning her so he could take in her royal blue and gold embellished robes. Her mask was the same deep rich blue, encrusted with gilded flowers and jewels and peacock feathers. On her hand, Pavarti had taken henna and drawn a lion. He was her lion, after all.

He swept her into his arms so smoothly, she had to crane her head to look up at him. In his golden mask with the feathers the color of fire spanning out like a mane and his already long ginger hair, he was her lion, her warrior, her love.

Love.

She melted against him as he held her, they weren't dancers by any means, but they swayed gently as she breathed in his scent and tried not to lose the last drop of her sanity, as he kissed her temple and her cheek and rubbed a pattern on her back, his fingers were probably missing the plait she usually wore, opting to pin her hair on the top of her head that night.

"Padma?" His voice was deep, tentative.

"Hmm?" Oh, she sounded as drunk and deliriously content as she felt!

"I love you, you know that right?"

She chuckled and gave a soft "mhm." She felt his fingers move and tickle her sides, his chest rumbling with laughter.

"Are you alright, love?" He leaned he back, dipping her, so his sky blue eyes could lock with her deep cocoa ones.

"I'm just happy," she breathed, eyes bright and glittering as she closed the distance between them, lips faltering for a moment before brushing against his. He held her to him, locking her in, as his lips crashed against hers, and she sighed, humming, as she parted her lips for his tongue to meet and dance with hers.

"It's about time," someone drawled. Draco Malfoy, with Jamie slung over his shoulder as they made their departure from the ball. Those two shagged like rabbits, which made Ron shudder, thinking about his adopted cousin in that way.

"See ya," Jamie smirked as elegantly as she could being upside down, her Cheshire grin glinting as she was carried away. Ron thought she seemed as deliriously happy as Padma felt; as he felt.

"Ron," Padma interrupted his thoughts. He looked down at her as she fluttered her eyelashes at him playfully, and he grinned. The most beautiful girl he had ever seen, and she loved him, didn't she? "Let them be in love, love is sweet, isn't it?" She leaned up and playfully planted a kiss between his eyebrows.

"You really think he's not an ass?" He grumbled, eyes straying back to the door. She chuckled.

"Oh Draco is an ass for sure, but he loves her and she loves him, and she trusts him," Padma shrugged. "People thought we were crazy, too."

She had a point, he would give her that.

"I just worry-" he protested.

"You always worry, too much," she chided. "About everyone and everything. Quit overthinking on this stuff, love is easy, everything else is a mess."

"You're so smart," he brushed his lips against hers. "Remind me what spell I used to get you, again?"

She laughed, a rich warm laugh. It was his favorite sound.

"I love you," she told him, even though she knew things were still going to be hard moving forward. They were on the brink of a war after all, but she knew they would pull though, believed they could make it.

She and Ron were strategists, they had no problem seeing their endgame.