AN: First fanfic! *Does happy dance* I'm kind of excited even though I just found out the next chapter I had started writing was completely erased but oh well!

Ok now for some warnings:

1. I may not finish this. Honestly, I got bored with this plot and I'm only posting it in the hopes that feedback will encourage more writing since I really liked this plot.

2. This is unbeta-ed, meaning I will occasionally spelling things wrong and forget words and I appologize! Please tell me and I'll fix it.

3. This is about Ron! I like Ron, and I think that not enough people see what I see in characters hence why so many people find easy to hate a character. They are a person! That means that no one is just a jealous prat, a fangirl, a snooty bookworm, or an over dramatic broody teen. I'm writing this story to explore their characters as I see them.

4. Pairings were decided not because I like them but because they best fit the plot that I'm writing. In fact one of the pairings, I'm not a huge fan of and you can probably guess which.

5. Flames are welcome. I'd like to see what that's like to find someone who truly hated my story by principle and find out why.

That's all for now. These AN's will most likely be at the bottom usually just for future knowledge.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, nor do I want to as I'm sure I would ruin it. Now on with the story!

Heart's Desire

Ch. 1 Con Men, Wishes, and Lockets

"It's not fair!" Ron muttered, "Harry always gets everything!"

Life for Ron had not been easy. Shortly after the Battle of Hogwarts both Harry and he had joined the aurors so they could help deal with the left over Death Eaters. Upon entering the corps, Harry was immediately promoted though with much protest. Kingsley felt that by doing do so it would help with morale. Unfortunately Ron's status was not high enough to be considered. The Weasley soon found him self shunted off to the sided like he had been so many times before.

Shortly after that Hermione found work in one of the most secretive departments of the ministry, the department of mysteries. As an Unspeakable, she had little time for their relationship and Ron wasn't looking for one filled with "need-to-knows". Ron and Hermione tried very hard to keep the romance going, they were still clearly in love, but with her work being secret and his continuous auror duties, their relationship was almost nonexistent. Neither of them had the time and it hurt to know that for both of them work came before love.

At that exact moment, Ron was pacing, or trying to pace, in his small little cubicle all minor aurors get.

"I'm tired of getting these small time jobs. 'Someone bewitched a toilet, we have to catch him!' This isn't even the right department for that!" Ron stopped and sighed.

"Harry has all ready caught Jugson, and I haven't even been on a single stakeout. I feel useless."

"I don't care how the hell you feel, Weasley, you got a mission," said Rupert Williams, his commanding officer. He had graying black hair and a rugged kind of look. More like an arse kind of look. Williams didn't care for his subordinates. He just wanted the job done at any cost.

"What is it, Williams?" Ron really wasn't in the mood for this.

"Someone's selling shoddy amulets out in Diagon Alley. Fix it."

"Is an auror even necessary for this?" Ron asked but Williams was already leaving. He sighed and started to get dressed in his standard robes.

In the year that had passed, Ron had finally filled out. He was still tall but he didn't look as gangly as he once did. His hair was still a shocking red and freckles still spotted his face. Still dressed in his auror robes he thought he made a decent sight. If only they weren't so hot!

Ron steadily made his way to the nearest apparition spot he could find, not stopping to talk to anyone. He didn't have any friends here since all they wanted to know about was The-Boy-Who-Lived.

As he landed in the Alley he immediately saw the problem. Diagon Alley was a lively and bright sort of place. On an average day nothing could stop the hustle and bustle on the streets. Today though, it seemed as if there was a giant bump in the swarm as people swerved to avoid the offending sight.

Sitting right there on the road was a stand that appeared to be falling apart at the seams. The man hawking his wares behind the cart had an abrasive voice and a matching appearance. Ron couldn't help but think that if hags could be male this is what they would look like.

"Oi! You, with the greasy hair, the hell are you doing on this street!"

The man paused in his calling to look at him. A grin grew on his warty face and half his teeth were missing.

"Why, good sir, I'm merely selling my wares, making a living like an average man!"

Ron scowled. Great, another crazy. Just what I need.

"Look fella, you can't be selling this junk in the middle of Diagon Alley."

"Junk!" the man said, affronted," I'll have you know that I, Charles Renton, sell only items of the highest quality!"

Ron looked down at the items on the table. There were dull and dented pocket watches, cracked mirrors, and even a dress that looked to have been stained red and then shredded. Everything was covered in a thin layer of grime and Ron doubted that any of it was legal.

"'Highest quality, hmm?" Ron said sarcastically. He reached for an especially grimy locket resting on the edge of the table. "What about this thing here?"

The man smiled. "You have great taste, sir! Why, that little gem is so powerful, none of my detecting spells could pierce it!"

Ron paused to think that line over, then looked at the man incredulously and said, "So you have no idea what it does?"

"Nope!"

"And you're still selling it?"

"Yup!"

It didn't take Ron long to have the man bound and transported to a cell back at the ministry and the items confiscated. As he headed back to his office he realized that the locket was still wrapped around his wrist. He rested it upon his palm and couldn't help but thing that maybe with a little polish it might have even looked half way decent.

He stared harder at the locket and could almost read what it said. He grabbed a handkerchief to clean off some of the dirt and was rewarded with a sharp pain in his hand. The damned locket had cut him!

"Bollocks! Stupid conman, stupid locket! I bet Harry never has to deal with this!" Ron sighed. He knew that train of thought would get him nowhere. It was the same train of thought that had lead him to leaving his best friend when he needed him most. That was a scar upon his soul he would never forget. Yet he couldn't stop the green-eyed monster in the back of his head from whispering such traitorous thoughts.

"I wish I were the boy-who-lived. Maybe then this kind of crap wouldn't happen to me!"

Suddenly, Ron felt dizzy. A throbbing had started in his head, filling his ears till he thought they might bust. There were now two lockets in front of him, two identical hands holding them. Cotton seemed to fill his mouth and his stomach heaved. The chair swiveled and he fell in slow motion. His vision blurred and colors blended to make a blinding white and before he had even hit the ground everything blacked out.

AN:I forgot too mention, I know it'll seem like I'm saying that Ron and Hermione wouldn't workout but I'm not, in fact I love that pairing. I just don't think that in the first couple years of that nineteen year gap, Ron and Hermione are going to understand perfectly how a relationship is supposed to work. They don't have a lot of experience in this kind of thing so they would of course have issues that would need to be worked out. They love each other though so they'll turn out fine. Or they would if that was going to happen since I think that an important part of them following in love was their mutual worry over Harry and as that won't be happening... Just wanted to clear that up. Read and review, please!