She watches him as he stands beside Harry, so noticeable with his vivid red hair and his height. Yet no one sees him, they are all too busy drinking in the splendour of being close to Harry Potter, their saviour, the one who defeated Voldemort once and for all.
But she sees him, sometimes all she can see is him. She alone knows what he has been through and how much it has cost him to be standing there right now next to 'the boy who lived.'
Harry has battled the greatest dark wizard the world has ever known and won. He has defeated death and tragedy and come out whole. His arm tightly wrapped around Ginny is testament to that.
But Ron, Ron has been there with him every step of the way, in the shadows, always seeing and always unseen. She has watched him suffer over the years, swallow his jealousy, accept his limitations and anonymity. He resisted the urge to become bitter, callous and resentful and that is amazing.
As she looks on now she feels almost unworthy.
Without Ron Harry wouldn't be here now. He became his family and gave him a reason to keep fighting.
He beat his personal demons to return to their side which took so much more strength than either she or Harry possessed. They never questioned their mission, their duty. He did and he overcame it. No one will ever know the true extent of his heroism except her.
Ronald Billius Weasley may not be the most attractive of men but to her he is beautiful and her heart bursts with pride and love when she kisses him and holds him in her arms with the knowledge that he is her man.
A/N I love Hermione and I wanted to try and articulate why it was Ron she wanted. Because it was always Ron!