Moving on, Moving forward

Disclaimer: The usual. I own nothing and I am not stealing but politely borrowing for a little while.

Summary Ron explains some of his thoughts on dating, his sister, and his friends. post OotP.

"Writing to Dean?"

Ginny sighed deeply and looked Ron in the eye before replying. "No, I am writing to Luna, And Ron, you really need to just let it go."

"What are you talking about? Let go of what?" Ron asked with apparently genuine curiosity.

"Why can't we both just accept that you are going to hate my boyfriends and move on with life?" Ginny said in a brisk manner.

Ron put his quill down and looked at Ginny carefully. All the things he had wanted to say since learning his little sister was dating were running through his head. The things that worried him and and all the things he hoped for her. He could see Hermione pretending not to watch him and pretending not to hope he wouldn't say anything stupid while the three sat together in headquarters writing letters. He pushed his own letter to Harry aside for the moment.

"That's not really fair. Sure, I thought that Corner bloke was a bit of a git but I let you make your own choices and didn't interfere. I kept my complaints to myself and my two best mates. It's not my fault Hermione ratted me out to you." Ron watched with some satisfaction as Hermione turned pink but she stayed quiet not wanting to get involved at the moment.

"The point is you disliked him the moment you knew I was dating him. You didn't have a problem with Dean until I fancied him. You just don't want your little sister dating anyone."

"I always though Corner was a prat." Ron smiled. "I was just indifferent about it until he started dating you. You did dump the git for a reason, remember? I have no problem with Dean. I like Dean. If I happen to think that you could do better it is because I think so highly of you. No, listen. I want you to be happy and whoever you want I won't get in the way. You are smart, pretty, funny, and kind and you deserve someone special. Someone who will treat you right. Someone good enough."

"You can be sweet sometimes," Ginny said slowly. "But are you ever going to think anyone is good enough for me?"

"Of course. I'm not unreasonable, but I don't get to pick and you chose Dean. Mind you, if he hurts you I'll rip off his right arm and beat him to death with it."

"Ron!" Ginny tired to keep glaring at Ron but again it was sweet in an overprotective sort of way. She gave up and giggled. She felt kind of special and close to him at the moment and she knew he was kidding. Mostly.

"Ginny," Ron began, serious once more. "I'm sorry I teased you about your feelings for Harry. We're Weasleys and it's how we relate but I should have been kinder. You know you can talk to me, don't you? You don't have to hide things from me."

"I know. I was just tired of four years of teasing. I wanted to enjoy having a boyfriend without being hassled. I won't be so secretive next time."

"Good," said Ron, grinning and reaching for his letter to Harry. "And I'll try not to be a prat about it." He got only half a sentence back into his letter when he glanced up to see a meaningful look being passed between Ginny and Hermione. "What?"

"Well," Ginny began, "I was wondering when you were going to start dating?"

"I'll let you know."

Hermione snorted. She had been keeping unusually quiet but seemed to think this was safer ground to enter the conversation.

"You just asked Ginny not to hide things from you and now you are being evasive."

"I am not being evasive. How was I supposed to answer? Pick a random date by which I will have a girlfriend? It doesn't work like that." Ron continued calmly. "The last couple of years I have put a lot of time into my friends. I think that is where my priorities should have been with everything that is going on. I mean, sure, I would like to have a girlfriend but what's the point if I don't have the time and attention to make a decent go of it? I'd just hack off a girl I liked."

"Ron, that really is very mature of you, but you could find the time if you wanted to. Nobody has more on his plate than Harry and he went out with Cho..." Ron cut Hermione off.

"Yeah and that worked out so bloody well. Didn't it?"

"Harry and Cho went up in flames for different reasons. They were doomed from the start." Ginny said.

"Yeah, alright, yeah. I think even Harry knew it was doomed but went ahead anyway. He still liked her but would not have pursued anything. Even when she came after him so hard he was reluctant but with the opportunity right there I guess he had to find out if it might possibly work."

"She went after him?" Ginny asked.

"Yep. Cornered him at Christmas and kissed him. Then she strongly hinted that he should ask her out until he finally asked her to go to Hogsmeade with him." Ron said.

"The point is you can have a girlfriend if you want one." Hermione brought them back on topic. "After all, you have your own "Weasley is our King" fan following after last year."

"Funny 'Mione. Even if that were true I am still not some conceited git like Malfoy. I don't want a girlfriend just to have one. She has to be special," said Ron.

"Do you like someone?" Ginny asked.

"Sorry. That's my business," Ron smiled. "If I did, I'd have to tell her before you anyway."

"If we asked Harry, would he know?" Ginny asked again.

"Maybe, I don't know. I didn't say anything but I don't always have to with Harry. He knows me pretty well." Ron said.

"Would Hermione know?"

Ron grinned widely.

"Ask her. She is right here."

Hermione was watching Ron closely with slightly pink cheeks. She usually controlled herself better then this. Ginny didn't ask and several moments went by before Hermione started to speak slowly.

"Ron, you are happily answering questions that would usually annoy you. Why?"

"Good mood, I guess. Besides, like you said. I just asked Ginny to be open with me so I have to try to be open with her."

"And me?"

"Hermione, I usually tell you everything anyway. Just not this much in one sitting, I suppose. Honestly, I've answered every question you have ever asked me." Ron was pleased to see Hermione grin almost goofily at him. Pleasure quickly turned to near panic as the goofy grin turned into a devious smile.

"So, do you like anyone?" Hermione purred. Yes, purred.

"That is so not right," Ron sighed. "Yes. Yes I do. And I am not saying anymore"

"Why not? We could help. Hermione helped Harry a lot with Cho last year." Ginny said.

"I'm not doing anything about it yet. I'll let you know when I need help." Ron, despite forcing himself to remain calm, started to blush.

"Don't you trust us?" Hermione asked.

"Of course I do. But even best friends have some secrets." Ron said. "Or do you mind if I read your next letter from Krum?"

"Alright, alright. I still think this is different." said Hermione sounding hurt and left out.

"Hermione, when I am ready you will be the first to know. I promise." Ron smiled and hoped it would be enough for now. He wasn't ready. Soon, but not yet. It was too important to mess up. Hermione smiled back and they got lost looking at each other for a moment before starting and looking away. Ginny to cover the moment decided to tease Ron a bit.

"Ronnie, you sure you don't want to play the field a bit with your new fan club? (Wow, thought Ginny, Hermione has quite the death glare) "Some were quite pretty."

"Nah, Most of them never even spoke to me before I started to get a little bit of attention. In a small way it helped me understand how Harry feels."

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked curiously.

"Those girls didn't really know me. They liked me because I was popular at the moment and if they went out with me they'd get attention too. When the Yule ball was announced our fourth year a ton of girls asked Harry to go. Six, I think, just the very first day. They were pretty too. McGonogal had made it very clear about his duty to represent the school at the dance and he was nervous about having to ask someone. It would have been easy to say yes to one of them but he told them all no. He wanted to go with someone who wanted to be with him. Just Harry. None of these girls knew him and some had never even spoke to him. They wanted to go with the Boy who lived or the Triwizard champion. You know how Harry hates that nonsense, he would rather have gone alone. When Cho turned him down he asked Parvati. They weren't close but they had at least talked in class and on some level she saw Harry as a real person."

"Not that he sent much of the ball with her," Hermione said.

"He wasn't keen on dancing. Plus his best friend was being a git to you and his own date and Harry stuck with me out of loyalty." Ron grinned.

"Ron," Ginny began tentatively "did Harry think about me the same way when I had a crush on him? He must have known about it." More hotly "Bloody everybody knew about it!"

"Yeah, he knew and no he didn't. You were always in a special category."

"Meaning?"

Ron was trying to choose his words very carefully/

"Harry has always liked you and not just as a member of his favorite family. You were so shy around him but the first time you said more than two words in front of him it was to defend him against Malfoy. He told me once he felt bad that he wasn't getting to know the Ginny that Fred, George, and I talked about. He tried talking to you but it just made you more uncomfortable and withdrawn. He didn't know what to do and typically blamed himself. Growing up with the Dursleys no one taught him how to act in social situations. He thinks that he doesn't know how to act or the right things to say and do. It's silly. Harry is naturally kind and more often than not does the right thing out of instinct, but he still worries. Anyway he didn't push getting to know you because not knowing what to do he decided to do nothing, hoping to at least not make it worse. I can tell you that as moody as he was last year he was delighted that you started to talk to him and glad to have you as a friend."

"It feels good to talk to him like a normal person and I'm glad to have him as a friend too." Ginny said sincerely but felt some of the old uncertainty clawing at the back of her mind. "Did he think I was a silly little girl with a crush?"

"Harry is not like that. We never talked specifically about this so the best I can do is give you my best guess based on how well I know him. He didn't respond to your feeling s for two reasons. One, while you were still too shy to speak around him he never really got to know you. Two, he must have felt that you couldn't really know him either and that you had feelings for an image in your head of who he is based on what you had heard about him. He would have felt too awkward and mean to tell you that you didn't really know him so he never pushed the subject. Even if he was wrong from his point of view he had no way of knowing unless you told him so or at least gave him more information to go on."

"So it's my fault he never noticed me?"

"No. I told you he noticed you. You weren't invisible. But Harry is not the type to fall for a pretty face he knows nothing about. He only started to get to know you this year. Before he knew some things about you but he didn't know you." Ron made a quick decision to tell her what he had been thinking for a while. "To tell the truth, I think you would have been great with Harry. I think somehow you really understand him and that you liked the real Harry. You seem to know what to say to him no matter what his mood is and you were the only one that could get through to him last Christmas. You'd be good for him. Plus I'd be happy because, yes, he would treat you right and never hurt you."

"Ron, I gave up on him. I had to..."

"I'm not saying you should start chasing him again. Just, if you still have feelings for him don't completely shut the door now that he is finally seeing the real you. The real you is amazing and he is not completely stupid. You are perfect for him and if you are willing to take him on, more power to you."

Ginny was to say the least conflicted.

"I don't know if I can put myself in that position again."

"Then don't. Keep being yourself. Keep being a friend. Let him come around and be the one to chase you. Then it will be your decision to let him off the hook easy or make him suffer for taking so long." Ron grinned before turning mock serious. "He is my best mate though, so be gentle."

Ginny giggled despite herself and stood up.

"I don't know about Harry ever chasing me but I never closed any doors. I just had to stop waiting and live my life. I am still going to so I guess it is up to Harry. I do still care for Harry and thank you for telling me all this. I felt so foolish about a lot of things I did around him. I am going to send this to Luna, can I borrow Pigwidgeon?"

"Sure, I won't finish this letter today." Ron waved her on.

"Thanks." Ginny turned back at the door. "Ron, more than anything... thanks for the talk."

"Anytime." Ron smiled.

"Ronald. You of all people, playing matchmaker." Hermione said trying to sound stern but looking extremely pleased.

"A tad girlish, I know." Ron said. "I'm willing to endure a bit to move this one along."

"You have no problems with your best mate and little sister being together?" Hermione asked.

"You'd think I would, but no. If they are happy and good for each other why should I be fussed?" Ron reasoned.

"There will be snogging."

"Hermione! Please! Mentally not even going there."

"Okay." Hermione smiled. Ron gathered up his quill and parchment and announced:

"I'm going to put these away for now. How about a game of chess?"

"Sure."

Ron stopped at the doorway and turned around.

"Oh 'Mione." Ron waited until he was sure he had her attention. "You are the one I like. You were always the one I liked."

Ron walked out the door.

A/N

Definitely a Ron piece. Ginny and Hermione didn't have much to do. They will get their turn in future installments. I was just tired of much of the fandom of treating Ron like an idiotic hothead. Yes he has blind spots in his personal life but so do we all. It is easy to see mistakes from a distance with nothing at stake.
Anyway, I seeRon as intelligent, funny, and even sometimes thoughtful if also carefree, relaxed, and yes sometimes prickly, argumentative, and dense. Above all loyal to friends and family. That's what I tried to show here.
Also, right now I am better at writing dialogue so I am leaning on my strengths and will build on my weaknesses as I go.

Hope you like it. Please review.