What If… ?

Title : What if ?

Summary : Everybody always worries about their 'what ifs'. Find out about Ronald Weasley's 'what ifs'! One-shot. Do read.

Disclaimer : This is the procedure, lemme tell you, I am not JK. Rowling. I am not. (shakes her head)

Ronald Weasley paced the Gryffindor Common Room. Harry Potter was in detention with Prof. Umbridge and Hermione was …somewhere. The point was, Ron was worried. Scared, nervous. He was wondering if he should try for the Gryffindor Quidditch team….

What if nobody likes me

what if I don't succeed

What if I give it all that I've got

and I still don't got what they need

What if I don't get anywhere at all

Will I consider myself a failure

will I be that small

He sighed. 'Oh boy….'

"Ron, I was going to ask you but… now… I guess not…" Hermione Granger said sadly, her bacon untouched.

"W-what ? Hermione… Merlin… were you about to …" a shocked sixth year named Ron asked his best friend; the pumpkin juice frozen in his hand.

"Well, Slughorn is having a Christmas party and I thought you might like it … but now…" she looked behind Ron.

"Won-won!" squealed a delighted Lavender Brown. "What're you ever doing here ? I thought you were 'busy' ?" she demanded suspiciously. Ugh, how he disliked her. He had just made Lavender his girlfriend so that Hermione would be jealous… but….the plan had backfired. Terribly.

What if she doesn't like me

what if I'm not her type

What if all the girls that ever like m

eAre not the kind of girls that I like

What if I meet the right one and screw it up

"Lavender…" Ron mumbled. "I --I"

"What's wrong, Won-won?"

"Lavender, please stop calling me that!" Ron said, irritated

Lavender looked taken aback.

"Oh-but why, Won-won ?"

"Lavender !"

Whoops ! And there went the orange juice on her. On Hermione, actually. Oh dear.

"Ron!" Hermione cried furiously.

"'Mione…"Ron said guiltily.

Hermione threw him and Lavender a disgusted look and stalked off.

Ron's shoulders sagged. "Why me…? Why ?"

Will I consider myself a failure ?

will I give up ?

Ron Weasley always manages to get himself in trouble.

What if they don't like me

What if they think I'm a joke

What if they act nice to my face

But they hate me and I don't even know

What if they end up stabbing me in the back

Will I consider myself a failure or will I fight back

The rain poured down heavily on the tent that Ron was camping under. He listened as the radio told of yet another missing Muggle, one more murder. Another Death Eater attack. It was getting worse and worse everyday. But what was gnawing Ron was that Hermione and Harry might actually… might actually hate him. That's how it seemed anyway. Harry was always talking to Hermione. All the plans were made and discussed with Hermione. He wouldn't be surprised if Harry had already made a plan but had decided not to include Ron in it. Just like everybody. Nobody ever took Ron seriously. Ever. He was sick and tired of this. Of forever being in his brothers' shadows first and now his best friends. He, too, existed. Why did they never get that ?

But the thing that hurt him most was that all these seven years, it seemed like as if Hermione and Harry had been his friends. But that argument that he had had with Harry made him think again. It wasn't like Harry to be so unreasonably harsh… And, Hermione had sided with him, as well. Why didn't she ever think about his feeling ?

Why ?

But it could be that I'm wrong, Ron considered. I mean, it's not like as if they said 'we hate you and wish you were dead'. They didn't say anything like that. And Harry IS under stress these days… Maybe… I should go back…? Maybe…?

Ron bowed his head and listened to the voice in him.

And Ronald Weasley got up and exited the tent, resolutely following his heart that told him that those two needed him.

Perhaps. Maybe not.

But he will risk it.

--

What if nobody likes me

What if I don't succeed

What if I give it all that I got

and its not good enough til I bleed

What if I don't get anywhere at all

Would I consider myself a failure

will I be that small

"Hermione…" Ron gulped. "I… Do you think I passed theAurors' test ?" he asked, terror illuminated in his eyes.

"Ron, I don't think so." Hermione Granger continued, " I know so. You are good, and you should KNOW that, for goodness's sake.."

"How good…?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. " Better than Harry, if that's what you want to hear."

"I don't want to hear that, never ! Who are you kidding, woman?" But Ron visibly looked a bit relaxed.

It was not that he tried to compete with Harry consciously. Oh no, he did that subconsciously.

And for Ron, the first fight was Hermione.

Too bad he didn't know that he wasn't fighting with Harry and Krum, he was just fighting with a weak opponent called fear.

"Let's check out the results, shall we ?" Hermione smiled reassuringly.

And that was all Ron needed. Her smile had always made his day. Why would that change now ?

They went over to the billboard where people who had become Aurors-in-training were listed.

"Harry, darling, you made it !" Ginny Weasley cried and she turned smooched an ecstatic Harry Potter.

"And so did Ron!" Hermione screamed happily as she flung her arms around Ron…

Ron sighed with happiness.

'Happiness is this' he thought as he hugged her back.

"But…" he paused, " what if I am a terrible Auror ?" he worried.

--

NO I'm gonna keep trying

getting denied just makes me want it more

I'll keep trying and each time push harder than before

I can't live my life always worried about what if

'Cause what if I die tomorrow

Then I never even lived

"Ron, I hope you know that you are a very good Quidditch player. You have, in fact, been appointed as the next Keeper of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. Welcome to the team, Ron, we are counting on you" Angelina smiled at him.

"No way…" he whispered…..

Ronald Weasley knelt in front of Hermione Granger and asked nervously, "Will you marry me?"

Her eyes filled with tears Hermione nodded and chocked out a "YES"

"YES !" Ron laughed….

"Ron, you remembered when you had 'abandoned' me and Harry back in our … 'seventh year' ?" Hermione Weasley peered at him.

"Yes," he said sheepishly.

"Well, I was thinking about that just now and I have decided that I should have killed you."

"But didn't you punish me enough then ?"

"No, I didn't ! You prat, you, you killed me during those days!" Hermione's eyes filled up with tears.

"'Mione, Merlin, I-- what ?"

"Yes, Ron, I was so lonely. It was not the same. I needed you and I know that though Harry will never ever mention this, without you, he became even more depressed." Hermione confided.

Ron sighed.

"Ron…you under-estimate yourself. I am not saying this because I'm your wife. I am saying this because, Ron…" her eyes looked up at him in admiration. "Ronald Weasley, you are so special and unique. And you don't even know it…" She shook her head.

Ron smiled tentatively, "Really?"

Hermione rolled here eyes and leaned in for a heart-stopping kiss.

"Truly."

"I have been given the honor of giving this prestigious award to a person who has indeed made history with his sleuthing skills. Who has captured so many of the criminal that he has made a record. Indeed, he is the second best Auror we have ever had after Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody himself ! Of course, it helps that he's absolutely normal, and not ready to murder his loving wife and two kids because he thinks that they are serial killers !" A gentle laugh arose from the audience.

"So, I am honored to present this award to …. Ronald Weasley !"

Ron grinned happily; Harry slapped his back encouragingly as Ginny gave his arm a squeeze and Hermione smothered him with kisses.

"Go !" she cried happily, applauding him.

Ron made his way over to the stage.

"Wow. I was…. Truly I did not expecting this." He said breathlessly, looking at the shiny black statuette in his hands.

"I am the same old same old type pf person so don't expect creatively right now, especially when I can't breathe, I want to thank Hermione, Harry and Ginny. I would like to say this to my mum and Percy, back there in the audience : Hey, look, I am not a failure !"

The audience chuckled again as Percy and Mrs. Weasley grinned at him, their eyes proud.

"And, Mr. Barty Crouch Jr. for giving Harry the idea of Auror who then passed on the idea to me."

Harry rolled his eyes playfully.

"And Mr. Moody himself that he was so courteous as to spend ten months in a trunk so that Barty Crouch Jr. could do this noble work of popping the idea in Harry's thick head."

(Harry pretended to look offended.)

"I know, I know, I have spoken way, way too much but… just… Fred, remember, we love you. George, Charlie, Bill, hey there for being such fabulous examples. Hugh and Rose for making my life so much more…fairly-land like. Thanks all. Thank you to the whole Weasley family !" He grinned and brandished his award in the air.

He was Ronald Weasley after all. And anybody who knew him, knew his habit of show offing.

--

The Daily Prophet.

'What If - The Questions in One's Life' by Ronald Weasley has made it to the top of the Witch Weekly's list in the top 10 most inspirational books ever.

Here is a little sneak peek from the Authors' Best Seller's number one book 'What If - The Questions in One's Life'

'There is always a time when you feel low, and you question yourself. There arises the nasty 'what ifs….?' What if she hates me ? What if Lord Voldermort kills my family tomorrow ? What if I am fired from work today ?'

The answer to overcome those sweet little questions are : Just find out. Go ask that girl out and find out if she hates you. Keep fighting evil since not fighting it will create even more chances of your family being the one targeted next. Do your job diligently and go to work today find out . If you're fired, start afresh. After all, isn't there always a first time ?

But most of all, believe in yourself. That was something I lacked. Faith. Over the years with help of friends has helped me build it back again and I know what an awful sensation it is when I look at Hermione Granger and think of not being able to spend the rest of my life with her. And I almost missed that Golden Opportunity, almost because of that nasty 'what if'

My advise to all of would be to never let 'What if' get to you. They are there to make you better at what you do. Not to make you a failure.

There have been some wrong choices that I have made. But who doesn't make mistakes ? Humans do. So go out and try you luck. Live your life !'

--

Song: What if by Plain White T's.

Author's Note: Well, I admit that I couldn't put it the way I actually wanted it to. In my imagination, it was different and on paper it came out differently…. ): Oh well.

Practice makes perfect, right ?

So, now, I need your help there. You have read the story now I want your reviews so that I can make my stories what I want them to be, not what they want to be. So, help me get there by reviewing. Anything is welcome. Mistakes, silliness in the story , praise, request, ideas. .anything. I appreciate just the fact that you took your time to read this and even more effort to type up something. (:

So, keep reviewing. You know how much I love them. ;)

Ginny.

PS: Check out my story 'I'd Lie' as well. :D Sorry, couldn't resist… XD