Colourless
Numb, he decided. Upset, sad, and depressed weren't strong enough words. They didn't even begin to cover the feeling that had been slowly creeping through his body for the past several hours.
Ever since one of his best friends, Hermione, had been found petrified outside the library, Ron hadn't left her side. Well, technically he wasn't at her side for the first few minutes, as he had been at the quidditch match, but as soon as McGonagall had told him and Harry, his backside had been glued to the rickety wooden chair placed beside her bed.
As he looked down at her for what felt like the thousandth time, he let out a heavy sigh. His chest felt constricted, like he was going to cry again, but he knew the time for tears was past. He'd already cried for the first hour or so and he didn't think his tear ducts could possibly produce any more tears.
Harry had cried a bit too, of course, but not as much as Ron. Then again, Harry didn't know how hard it was on Ron. After they had stood together at Hermione's bedside for a time, Ron had sent Harry away, saying that Harry should get some rest. Harry had looked at him for a long moment, as though he wanted to say something, but then nodded and walked through the hospital wing door.
Not even Harry knew how much this was affecting Ron. Anyone whose best friend was petrified would be upset, of course, but Hermione wasn't just any friend. Ron didn't quite understand it himself, why his face burned at the thought of her or why he felt the need to tease her so often. His heart clenched as he imagined never being able to tease her again and watch in amusement as her beautiful brown eyes glared at him in anger.
Looking down at those eyes, he wondered what exactly it was that made her look so unlike herself at the moment. She wasn't moving, but that wasn't it. Her cheeks were still flushed with excitement of having solved yet another mystery, eager to share her findings with her two best friends. It was her eyes, he decided. They looked dead. Usually they were full of fire, full of wonder, and such a lust for life. Usually they lit up when they saw Harry and Ron, but now they just lay unblinking, unrecognizing. They were the same color of brown as usual, but without that zest for life in them, they appeared colourless to him...
...As colorless as his life would be without Hermione. He wanted more time to explore these feelings, to understand why one compliment from her could make his day but a single harsh word from her could easily put him in his place.
He had never had a girlfriend before but if he ever did have one, he decided, he wanted one just like Hermione.