If any of you are reading the "Harry and John" series, don't worry - it's still being worked on, but I had an idea for another really long story, and if it works out right, this may be another series! I hope you enjoy it!
Third person POV
A warm, lazy July afternoon at the Burrow was one of Ron's favourite situations. He had (with Hermione's nagging through her letters) finished his holiday homework, had no chores for the day left, and could simply do as he pleased. And his decision was to take a walk to a nearby pond, and relax by the side of it, with his feet dipped into the water.
His dreams of late had been about the night at the Department of Mysteries. About Harry. Voldemort. Sirius...
His time alone at the pond allowed him to try and come to terms with what happened just two weeks ago. He hadn't had any extended amounts of time alone with his thoughts, save for the nights where he would inevitably think about it, but only with a tired mind and heavy eyelids. Now, wide awake, Ron could truly try to get over the events of that night.
The first thing he felt was sorrow for both Harry and Sirius. Harry's life had been hard enough, and now the closest thing he knew to a father had been cruelly ripped away from him. Sirius' life wasn't much better - an insane family, years in prison for something he never did, being trapped in the house where as a child he was tormented, and to top it all off, only after his death was he was found innocent.
What an insult. Sirius was one of the best people Ron had met. So much resilience, strength and compassion. All of his potential was wasted. By a coward. It all came down to Wormtail again.
Of course it did.
The mere thought of the traitorous ex-Marauder made Ron's blood boil. He tried to get his mind off it and bring it back to the incident at the Department of Mysteries. He felt that if he didn't come to peace with it now, he wouldn't get many more chances soon. Hermione was due to arrive at the burrow soon.
Normally the thought of the intelligent, bushy-haired witch would make Ron smile, but now, it made him feel pathetic. He found out what happened to her. Dolohov hit her with an unknown curse which he wasn't there to take in her stead. After he found that out, Ron swore to himself that he'd do everything in his power to keep Hermione safe and happy.
If it meant doing his own homework, so be it. If it meant letting Hermione start going out with Krum or whoever, without saying a word, so be it.
If it meant Ron dying for her, so be it.
Ron POV
I've never really thought about this, but I reckon mine and Hermione's friendship with Harry's going to get us into some serious shit. For all my uselessness and my shortcomings, I'm at least useful for one thing. I won't hesitate to take a hit for them. It's not like I was going to amount to much anyway...
But Harry? Hermione? Blimey, they were going to have the world at their feet! They could do whatever they want. Provided that Harry succeeds.
The prophecy really makes me feel for Harry - having to kill... him before he gets killed... it's bloody terrifying. I wish I could switch places with him. Ironically it's not to have the good stuff he has this time. I just want his suffering to end. It's about time he got something good into his life, and now he finds out he has to kill a fucking dark lord!
Third Person POV
Ron's thoughts about Harry eventually brought him back to Hermione. Before last year, he had no idea why he looked at Hermione differently to other girls, but he figured it out. Teaspoon or not, his emotional depth was enough to work out that he was in love with her. However, he had never really admitted it to himself. He was always preoccupied with Harry or something else.
"Blimey." he mumbled to himself.
He began to impatiently wonder where Hermione was. Taking his feet out of the cool pond, he looked out at the horizon, to see that the sun was just beginning to set. Since it was summer that meant it was probably about six o'clock - Hermione was probably arriving soon.
As he began to stand up, Ron suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder.
With a yelp, Ron leapt forwards, which unfortunately lead him into the pond, which was deeper than he thought - his feet didn't even touch the bottom.
Treading water, he looked up to see the very thing he was just thinking about, the object of his affections, and the cause of so many of his frustrations, looking more beautiful than ever, blushing with her hands over her mouth. Her hair wasn't quite as bushy as usual, and she looked... somehow more Hermione-ish than he remembered. It didn't make much sense in his head anyway...
"Oh Ron, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have snuck up on you like that!" Hermione exclaimed, embarrassed.
"It's alright, I'm just feeling a bit jumpy." said Ron, climbing out of the pond.
"I'd hug you but..." Ron added, motioning to his now soaked body.
Hermione giggled for a moment.
"It's really good to see you though. I've really wanted to talk to you alone after..." Hermione trailed off.
Ron knew what she was talking about.
"I've been thinking about it too. You reckon Harry's going to get like he was at the beginning of last year? I wouldn't blame him mind you. Poor bloke's been through way too much." said Ron, taking his freezing shirt off.
Hermione blushed, looking at Ron's shirtless body. He certainly wasn't a lanky fourteen year old any more. Or anywhere near lanky. Here he was, sixteen, and built like an athlete. Toned muscles, broad chest and... Oh God. That V-cut bellow the stomach that drove her crazy! Looking up, however, she saw scars. And plenty of them. Mostly from the battle of the Department of Mysteries she presumed. They were definitely healed, but still distinct. Although he gained them in a life or death situation which he shouldn't have even been in, she thought they made him look... even sexier.
She tried to push those thoughts away to respond to Ron's statement.
"Oh I know, I wish we could do something! Sirius was all the family he had left." Hermione said, sadly.
"Hey, I don't think so. I reckon we're his family. My family and you." Ron said, encouragingly.
"That's so sweet of you Ron! Whatever Harry ends up going through, he's so lucky to have you there with him!" Hermione replied, hugging him, before becoming fully aware that he had no shirt on.
Blushing, she let him go.
"Sorry." she mumbled.
"S'OK. Shall we head back to the Burrow?" Ron asked, his ears going red after realising that Hermione had not only seen him shirtless, but now touched him as well. He was proud of the results of his new exercise and diet, but...
"Yes. Your mother said that she's making roast chicken and potatoes, so I'm assuming that you'll want to be there soon." Hermione replied, grinning at him.
"In that case, what are we waiting for?"
When they arrived at the Burrow, Mrs. Weasley was the first to notice.
"Ron, why on Earth are you soaked and not wearing your shirt?" she asked, suspicious.
"Well I was at the pond, and Hermione scared the shi- err living daylights out of me." Ron replied, smirking at a blushing Hermione.
"Sorry Mrs. Weasley." Hermione mumbled.
"Not to worry dear, now Ron, just get changed and I'll put a drying charm on those clothes." said Mrs. Weasley.
Ron nodded and stomped up the stairs, to do just that, knowing that roast chicken awaited him.
Of course, he wasn't disappointed - Mrs. Weasley, as usual had prepared a diner fit for royalty, and Ron, as usual inhaled his food. He ate roughly twice as much as Hermione in just over half the time.
Ginny was, as per normal disgusted at Ron's rate of consumption, making a face as he did what he did best. Eat inordinate amounts of food.
Once they were finished, however, Hermione turned to Ron.
"Ron, can I come up to your room? There's a lot I want to talk to you about." said Hermione, standing up.
"Sure, let's head there now." said Ron.
Hermione didn't notice Ginny's wink and smirk, but Ron did, and he replied with a scowl.
However, it was long gone by the time they reached Ron's room.
"So Hermione, what's up?" Ron asked.
"I was just thinking about what you said about Harry." Hermione began.
"Yeah?"
"I really meant what I said. Harry is lucky to have you around. I am too." Hermione said.
"Really? I thought I just held you two back..." Ron mumbled.
Hermione was shocked.
"Ron! How can you think that!" Hermione exclaimed.
"Well you've said it before yourself - I'm lazy, not as clever as either of you and apparently have the emotional range of a teaspoon." Ron said, all in one breath, looking down at his feet.
Hermione wanted to try and remind him that she had also said a lot of good things about Ron over the years, but with a shock, realized that her complements directed at Ron were few and far between. She also realized that she spent a lot more time pointing out his flaws. She was furious with herself and wanted to cry at the same time. She was fixating on Harry, who was deprived of affection most of his life, without recognizing that she may have only fed Ron's insecurities.
It wasn't exactly hard to complement a person as wonderful as Ron, so why didn't she do it? Ron may have thrown his fair share of angry words Hermione's way over the years, but always remembered to tell her that she was brilliant.
"Oh Ron... I'm so sorry." She said, softly hugging him.
"You're wonderful Ron, I'm sorry I never really told you that, and I don't even know why. " she said, realizing that she was trembling.
"But I'm not. And why are you trembling?" Ron asked.
"Yes you are! And I'm trembling because I feel awful at the way I've treated you! I'm supposed to be your friend, and I've just criticized you for five years in a row!" Hermione wailed.
She inwardly scoffed at herself. She says she loves him and despite his difficulty at understanding the emotions of others, she gives him almost nothing to go on!
"Well, as much as I hate to admit you're right... again... there's a lot to criticize isn't there? I reckon it's about time I tried to grow up and try and be a better bloke. Like dad, Bill or Charlie." said Ron.
To say Hermione was impressed was an understatement. She may have loved Ron as he was, but the fact that he had just acknowledged his flaws and expressed a desire to mature almost made her jump on him and snog him then and there. She restrained herself, however. She also noted that he may have gained this new outlook for less than ideal reasons (notably near-death experiences).
But there wasn't much wrong with Ron anyway, he wasn't perfect, but in Hermione's eyes, he was close. Immaturity and laziness were things that could easily go on their own, and aside from that, there wasn't much wrong with Ron.
"Ron, do you realize that there are only two real problems with you? You can be immature and lazy, but those are only two problems, which should go on their own... I shouldn't have fixated on them, I'm sorry." said Hermione.
"No, you're right. It really is time I grew up. My friendship with Harry is probably the most important thing in my life right now, and he's not getting much out of an immature, lazy prat, is he?" Ron asked.
"You're so much more than that! Harry is a really intense person, and I think I am too. We both need you to be able to calm us down, make us laugh or relax, and there are few people who are as good as you at that. Without you, I don't think my own friendship with Harry would be anything like it actually is. You're like our glue Ron." Hermione explained, putting her hand on his shoulder.
"Really?" Ron asked, looking up at her and smiling.
Hermione smiled back, giving Ron his answer.
"Thanks Hermione! Blimey, I thought I was useless." said Ron.
"I'm sorry if I ever made you feel that way Ron. You're not." Hermione said, still warmly smiling at him.
The two of them fell into a comfortable silence, before Ron brought up the all-important best friend of theirs.
"Hermione, what about Harry? He's probably crushed right now. I've sent letters, but he doesn't seem the same in his replies. He seems... short, distanced even." said Ron.
"I think he's just trying to avoid feeling anything altogether after what happened to..." Hermione began, before tears began welling up in her eyes. A few trickled down her face.
Ron reacted by doing something Hermione would never have expected from Ron. He wiped the tears off her face, brushing her chin with his thumb afterwards.
"I miss him too." he said, solemnly.
Those four words allowed Hermione to finally break down. She sobbed into Ron's chest, lamenting the loss of Sirius Black, one of the bravest men they had ever come across. She also lamented the horror that their best friend had to endure as part of his life. He was too young for this, yet he was up against the definition of merciless.
"It's not fair! Harry's too young for this! Sirius didn't deserve any of it!" She choked out.
Seeing Hermione, one of the most important people in his life, and the girl of his dreams so broken and distraught almost made Ron cry too. But he remained resolute in trying to remain strong, and held her as she vented her emotional burdens.
When she was done, instead of looking at Ron's face, she looked at his shirt.
"That's the second shirt I've done that to today." she said.
Looking down, Ron realized that his shirt was soaked. Hermione really cried a lot about it all. Understandably though.
Ron smirked. Hermione could still make him smile in such an emotionally vulnerable state.
"Ron, thank you for being here for me. I'm sorry about your shirt." Hermione said, both gratefully and sheepishly.
"It's no problem. I'll just leave it out on the windowsill. It's a warm night after all." said Ron.
"Goodnight Ron. Thanks again." said Hermione, heading towards Ginny's room, where she was going to sleep.
Ron continued to think of Hermione that night. He could hardly believe that he hadn't acknowledged that he loved her earlier. He had done so for about two years, and didn't admit it to himself.
He also thought about the things she said to him. How he was better than he was given credit for, especially by Hermione herself. He smiled at the thought that Hermione thought so highly of him. Before then, he thought himself relatively useless, but that particular insecurity was almost single handedly destroyed by Hermione's praise of him.
Hermione not only occupied his thoughts then. She consumed them.
I wish I could have been a better friend to him.
Ron POV
What? That was Hermione's voice. Why can I hear it?
He deserves a better friend than me. I have to be the friend he needs from now on. I can't believe he thinks so poorly of himself!
Alright... that's definitely her voice. Why in the name of Merlin's left nut can I hear her voice?
I'll just wait and see if I hear it again... Maybe I'm just thinking about her too much.
Well it's been a few minutes, and I've not heard it again. Maybe I'm just thinking about her too much. My thinking process isn't being helped by the fact that I'm bloody tired... I should go to sleep.
But why did I hear about her wanting to be a better friend to me? I should probably stop thinking about it, my mind's probably playing tricks on me.
Yeah. That's it. I'm fine, nothing weird's going on. I'm just tired.
First chapter there for you. Ron's done some self-evaluation and came to some overly harsh conclusions. Also, why was he randomly hearing Hermione's voice? Stay tuned, and I'll give you more ;)
