Well, here it is... the final chapter of The Weasley Perspective. It has been a very long journey to get to this point. I have had this idea for years, so to finally write and complete it is just amazing. To everyone who has favourited, followed and/or reviewed this story, thank you from the bottom of my heart!

A big thank you to Arnel, my absolutely brilliant beta! Thank you for your brilliant editing skills, patience and encouraging words!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own, nor have I ever owned Harry Potter.

"Well, it would seem it is now my turn to speak," Ron said, having cast a Sonorous Charm on himself, "and embarrass the groom as is traditional."

The guests laughed, though Ron did hear a cheer come from his brothers. However, given the glare coming from both the bride and the maid of honour, he was not planning on going down that route with his speech.

"However, if I do not want to be hexed by the bride, I believe it would be best to keep my mouth shut."

"Best decision he has ever made," Ron heard Harry whisper to his wife.

"As you all know," Ron continued, "I am not only the best friend of the groom, but I am also the brother of the bride. Essentially, this has meant I have had a front row seat to their love story. Now, while many people would have you believe that I am completely oblivious to much of what is happening around me, I can admit that I did notice when Harry and Ginny finally began to fall in love with each other."

"I find that hard to believe, Ron," George shouted out, much to amusement of all the guests.

"I'm glad my act worked then, George!" he quickly responded. He wasn't going to admit to everyone that Hermione may have pointed the odd thing out here and there, though. "Regardless of what many people believe, and the fact it may have taken me time to see it, I have long believed that my best mate and my little sister are perfectly suited for one another."

Ron glanced down at the faces of Harry and Ginny and was glad to see them smiling in response to his words.

"Now, even though I said I would not tell any embarrassing stories about Harry," Ron told the crowd, finally coming to part of his speech he had most been looking forward to, "I do believe I should tell the couple's love story from my point of view. It began many, many years ago, just days before I was to begin my very first year at Hogwarts…"

HP&GW

August 1991…

"Are you nervous?" Ginny asked.

"A little," Ron admitted.

The two youngest Weasley children were out in the garden, laying on the grass and watching the clouds slowly float by. It was the day before Ron was due to begin his first year at Hogwarts, leaving Ginny as the only remaining child at The Burrow.

"I doubt the teachers will be surprised or impressed by anything I do, though," Ron continued. "How do you follow five older brothers who have all made a name for themselves?"

"By being yourself," Ginny told him as she rolled onto her side to look at her older brother. "Do you think he will be there?"

"Who are you talking about?"

"Harry Potter, of course!" Ginny replied excitedly.

Ron sighed. Like every other child in the wizarding world, they had been raised to know all about Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, and how he defeated You-Know-Who as a baby. Ginny, however, had become obsessed with the story and constantly asked for it be told to her. She had declared to him and their brothers that, one day, she would meet Harry Potter and they would get married. They had all teased her terribly for it, but she had never backed down from her declaration. It had now turned into a crush and he feared how she would respond to the boy if they were to meet.

"The Daily Prophet says he is meant to begin this year," Ron reminded his sister. "Remember, they said he had been spotted in Diagon Alley at the end of July."

"I know, but it's really hard to believe that the Boy Who Lived is going to be starting Hogwarts!"

"Why would you think that?"

"He just seems like this bigger than life person who wouldn't need to go to Hogwarts," Ginny said with a smile that betrayed her naivety. "I mean he must be really powerful to have been able to defeat You-Know-Who as a baby."

"Even if he is powerful, Ginny, it doesn't mean he knows how to use his magic," Ron argued. "He has been living with Muggles since that night. They wouldn't know enough about our world to be able to teach him too much. I bet he is just a normal boy like me."

"Well, I hope he isn't, because why would I want another brother in my life?" Ginny said before sticking her tongue out her brother.

"I would need to make friends with him for that to happen. That might not happen. He may not even end up in Gryffindor."

"How can someone as brave as him not end up in Gryffindor?"

"Perhaps he is really clever and belongs in Ravenclaw," Ron pointed out, even though he secretly agreed with Ginny. He couldn't see the Boy Who Lived being in any house but Gryffindor. "We only know what we have been told about him, which isn't much. For all we know, he could be the worst person in the world."

Ginny glared at Ron, who knew he probably shouldn't have said what he just did. He just wanted his sister to realise that Harry Potter might not be the person she perceived him to be based on the limited information they knew about him.

"You're wrong!" Ginny declared angrily.

"I probably am," Ron admitted. "I'll write to you when I find out, and if I am wrong, I will let you prank me in whatever way you want."

Ginny sat up and looked down at her brother, a look of glee on her face.

"NO!" Ron cried, knowing the look on her face. "You are not asking Fred and George to help you."

Ron sat up, turning his back on his sister when she started to pout in the way that would always get her what she wanted. He was not going to fall for that today. He was always a target for Fred and George's pranks as it was; he certainly did not need them helping Ginny if it turned out he was wrong.

"Fine," Ginny huffed. "I won't ask them, but you have to write to me regularly and tell me about Hogwarts and Harry."

"I'll try my best," Ron told her, "but only if I have a time and only if you promise not to be disappointed if Harry is not the boy you think he is."

"I promise," Ginny said earnestly before changing the subject. "So, do you think Fred and George are telling the truth about you having battle a troll to be sorted?"

HP&GW

June 1993…

Ron glanced up as he noticed Harry stand from the sofa and head across the common room. He wanted to ask where he was going until he noticed his best friend had stopped in front of his little sister, Ginny.

Ginny had been released from the hospital wing a few days earlier but had taken to ignoring them all. He didn't know if it was because she was embarrassed or ashamed of what had happened to her or if she thought that her brothers would reject her. Either way, he felt she was isolating herself for all the wrong reasons. Sadly, Ron did not even consider the fact that he had ignored her since she had returned to the Gryffindor Tower.

Ron watched as Harry said something to Ginny that caused her to widen her eyes in shock before nodding. He was startled when his best mate sat down across from his sister at the table and pulled out a pack of cards from his pocket. While Harry had saved Ginny's life, he didn't think Harry owed her anything as a result. Yet, there he was, beginning a game of Exploding Snap with her.

"What's going on?"

Ron turned his attention away to see Hermione had sat down next to him, her eyes looking in the direction of Harry and Ginny.

"I've no idea," he told her honestly. "Harry appears to be playing Exploding Snap with her, but I have no idea why."

"Do you think it might be because not one of her brothers has made the effort to check on her since she was rescued from the Chamber of Secrets?" Hermione asked, unimpressed by Ron's lack of attention to his sister.

"She's the one who has been staying away from us," Ron argued, refusing to recognise the truth in Hermione's words.

The pair's attention was drawn back to Harry and Ginny when a laugh rang out across the common room. They found the pile of cards had exploded in Harry's face, causing Ginny to laugh loudly at his reaction.

"Tell me something, Ron," Hermione said without taking her eyes away from the scene in front of her, "what have you done to make your sister smile or even laugh since she returned from the hospital wing?"

Ron didn't answer. He was stunned by the scene before him as he let the question Hermione had asked sink in. He realised that he was seeing and hearing his sister laugh for the first time in nearly a year. He hadn't been the one to cause it, nor had his brothers. It had been Harry, someone who understood what Ginny had been through. What had he done personally to help his sister?

The truth crashed into him at an alarming speed. He had done nothing, except to ignore her. He had been more concerned for Hermione and how she was doing since she was revived after being Petrified. Ginny had been isolated from them because not one of her brothers had made the effort to talk to her or to check on her.

"We've ignored her again," Ron admitted to his best friend. "Harry has done what we haven't even bothered to do. He's making her smile and laugh."

Hermione didn't respond, something Ron was grateful for. He didn't need to feel worse than he already did. He had spent most of the year ignoring his sister, not wanting to share his best friends with her, and it had ended up with her confiding in a diary that nearly killed her. Even though she would probably deny it, he was, along with his brothers, partially responsible for the events of the past school year. His best friend had saved her and was saving her again by interacting with her when nobody else would.

Something else caught his eye when it came to his best mate. It seemed Harry looked the most relaxed for the first time since the beginning of the school year. It looked like, even if Harry did not recognise it, that playing Exploding Snap was helping him as much as it was helping Ginny. Ron could only hope, therefore, that any awkwardness that had been between Harry and Ginny would now ease and they could become friends.

HP&GW

September 1993…

"Why did you do that?" Ginny asked angrily, having dragged Ron into an empty classroom near to the entrance to the Gryffindor common room.

"Why did I do what?" Ron replied, genuinely confused as to what he had done to upset his sister.

"You told me to leave you and your friends alone!"

Ron was stunned by the harshness of his sister's words and shocked that she would feel angry at him for telling the truth. He thought she would have wanted to sit with her own friends on the train and not in the company of the boy she had an embarrassing crush on. In all honesty, he didn't want Harry feeling uncomfortable by Ginny's presence.

"Oh, you have to be kidding me!" Ginny snapped. "You honestly don't know why I am angry with you!"

"Why would it even bother you?" Ron responded immediately. "You're not even friends with Harry and Hermione!"

"Well, that is not the point!"

"Then, what is the point?" Ron asked, still not understanding exactly what his sister was getting at.

"It's the fact that you asked me to leave you all alone after everything I went through last year!"

Ron felt like he had been slapped in the face by his sister's harsh words. He knew what she was saying was true as she had been so lonely the year before that she had turned a diary, which had then taken possession of her. His sister had nearly died all because her brothers had not had time for her and he had chosen to push her away once again, all because he didn't think his best mate would appreciate having Ginny around.

"Look, Ron, I am not asking you to be spend all your free time with me," Ginny gently explained. "I am just asking that you don't treat me like I am a nuisance to you and your friends."

"Your crush on Harry doesn't exactly help that," Ron admitted, knowing it was a touchy subject for her. "It's not like you can hang out with us when you can barely keep yourself from blushing when you are in his presence."

Ron knew he couldn't mention how Harry saving her life had probably added to how much Ginny liked him. Harry was now her hero in real life, rather than just in the games she used to play as a little girl. However, he expected she knew this already, so it would only be adding salt to the wound if he did bring it up.

"I'm working on that," Ginny said so quietly that Ron almost missed it. "I know he is more than the Boy Who Lived, but it is hard to separate that from the real him when he actually rescued me."

It was easier to see that admission was something she didn't want anyone to know, especially when the entire school was well aware of her crush on Harry. However, for him, until his sister could see past the Boy Who Lived persona and see who his best mate truly was, he couldn't risk Ginny spending too much time with him. It would only serve to make them both feel uncomfortable and awkward. Plus, if he had to admit it, he didn't particularly want his sister being a part of his friendships.

"I'm sorry," Ron said as he walked over to Ginny and hugged her. "I'll do my best to be a better brother to you, but I cannot guarantee I won't screw up every now and again. Just promise me that you'll come to me, Percy, Fred or George if you need someone to talk to."

"I can do that," Ginny replied, her voice muffled by Ron's jumper. "Just don't tell me to leave you alone like I am a nuisance to you, and we won't have a problem."

HP&GW

December 1994…

"Why did you turn down the chance to go to the Yule Ball with Harry?" Ron asked his sister as he took a seat next to her in the Gryffindor common room.

"For the exact reason that I gave you when you suggested the idea, Ron," Ginny said as she turned her head to glare at him. "Neville asked me to go with him and I said yes. I will not break a promise all because you thought I could go with Harry."

Even though his sister turned her eyes back to the book she had been reading when he had sat down, Ron didn't move. It was bad enough that Hermione claimed she had some mysterious date to the Yule Ball, but he honestly could not believe that his sister would turn down the chance to go with the boy she had long had a crush on.

"Why are you still sitting there, Ron?" Ginny asked, snapping Ron out of his thoughts. "I'm not going to change my mind. Plus, Harry has a date now. Parvati has been telling all the girls how she is the lucky girl who gets to go with him."

"Had Neville not asked you and you had been free to say yes, would you have accepted?" Ron said, knowing he was beginning to pry. He didn't want to tell her, but he had spotted the look of disappointment on her face when she'd had to refuse his suggestion.

Ginny slammed her book shut and turned to face him. "Maybe I would have, maybe I would have said no. I honestly don't know, but I am starting to wonder if you asked me on his behalf as a way to embarrass me or because you thought I would drop everything to go with him. Harry and I have never had a one-to-one conversation, except for…"

Ron didn't need his sister to finish the sentence, knowing she was referring to when Harry had rescued her from the Chamber of Secrets.

"Look, I don't think it was fair of you to ask me to accompany him, especially when you have done everything you can to keep me from him since I started Hogwarts," Ginny continued after a couple of minutes. "I also don't think it would be fair to him to have me pushed on him when we all know my crush on him has made him uncomfortable in the past. So, tell me, Ron, just what was going through that thick head of yours when you thought to ask me to go to the ball with Harry?"

He opened his mouth to respond, only to shut it immediately, knowing he couldn't tell her the truth. He had not thought once about Ginny's crush on his best mate. The simple fact was that he had been desperate and saw Ginny as an option for Harry. How he thought it had been a good idea when the two barely interacted to begin with was beyond him?

"Don't bother answering, Ron. Your silence tells me everything I need to know," Ginny snapped before she stood and walked away. She stopped when she reached the staircase to the girls' dormitories, turning to look at him. "And for your information, Ron, I no longer have a crush on the Boy Who Lived."

Ron looked away the moment his sister continued up the stairs, not wanting to see the scathing looks that were bound to be on the faces of his fellow Gryffindors. He knew he had put his foot in it once again and he knew he was to blame for the way she had responded. He had not been the best brother he could have been to her, especially with the way he continued to push her away from being friends with Harry. Still, he did have to wonder if Ginny had noticed how Harry had not outright rejected his suggestion to take her to the Yule Ball. Somehow, he suspected she had not.

HP&GW

June 1996…

Circling the makeshift Quidditch pitch at The Burrow on his broom came as a comfort to Ron after the events of the past school year. He knew dark times were coming and he wanted to be able to enjoy the things that he had loved for as long as he could. He was even more grateful for the fact that they would be remaining at home this summer and that Harry would be coming to stay sooner rather than later.

"Fancy practising your Keeper skills?" a voice said from below.

Ron looked down to see his sister flying up to join him, a Quaffle tucked under her arm.

"Might as well," he replied as he gently steered his broom towards the goal post, "especially if I want to keep my place on the team. What about you, though? Harry will be back as Seeker, which means you will no longer have a spot on the team."

"I'm going to try out for one of two open Chaser positions," Ginny replied as she lined herself up to take a first shot on goal. "Ready?"

Ron nodded, preparing himself to make what he thought would be an easy save. He was surprised, however, when Ginny managed to not only score, but trick him into believing she planned to throw the opposite way to what she actually did.

"When did you get so good?" Ron asked once he returned from retrieving the Quaffle.

"I have been sneaking out for years to practice. You would have found that out sooner had you and our brothers not constantly denied me the opportunity to play with you!"

Ron threw the ball back to his sister, deciding it would be best to change the subject now as he didn't particularly want to take the entire brunt of her complaints about being left out. Instead, he thought he would take the chance to ask her about what she had told him and their friends on the train home.

"So, you're dating Dean," he stated as Ginny went to throw the Quaffle, causing her to falter and throw it off target.

"Are we really going to have this conversation?" she asked, not making the effort to retrieve the ball. "I thought you would be fine with me dating one of your dorm mates. You told me to choose better and I have."

"Personally, I think you can do better than Dean," Ron automatically replied, not thinking of the consequences. He had meant it when he had told her to choose better, but he had been looking at Harry when he had said it. Obviously, his sister had not seen his hint as to whom he had meant. Had she truly given up on Harry like Hermione had told him?

"Just admit it, Ron," Ginny said angrily as she guided her broom downwards. "The only person who you think you would be suitable for me is Harry!"

Ron quickly flew down, jumping off his broom before his feet touched the ground.

"Actually, I think you are the only person good enough for him!"

Ginny froze in her tracks and slowly turned to face him.

Ron, seeing that he had his sister's attention, pushed on with what he thought was a solid argument.

"You had an impact on Harry, this year," he explained, remembering the way Ginny had been able to talk to Harry in a way no one else had been able to. "He listened to you. He responded to you. Perhaps you only see that as the pair of you now being friends, but I see that as a potential for a relationship. If you don't believe me, then just think about all the interactions you have had with him this past year."

He walked away, leaving his sister to think about what he had just said. He knew it was wishful thinking in hoping that his best mate and his only sister would fall for one another, but he truly did believe they would be perfect together. The problem was that he didn't think Harry had looked at Ginny in the same way he had looked at Cho. Even if the two didn't wake and realise how good they would be for each other, hopefully this past year would have cemented their friendship.

As he reached the broom shed, Ron decided it was probably best just to leave Harry and Ginny to it. Instead, he turned his thoughts to Hermione and whether he could find the courage to tell her just how he felt about her.

HP&GW

May 1997…

Whatever he had been expecting when Harry entered the common room after his detention with Professor Snape, it was not seeing his best friend snog his sister in front of everyone. He knew they had become good friends over the last couple of years, but he had no idea that either of them felt that way for each other. He was certain that Hermione had told him that Ginny had gotten over her crush on Harry and he was absolutely convinced that Harry had never looked at Ginny in that way.

Ron pulled himself away from his thoughts as he noticed Harry looking at him as though he was waiting for Ron's acceptance of what had just happened. Despite his shock, Ron could only give his best friend a small nod to show he was fine. The problem was that he didn't actually know if he was fine with Harry wanting to date his sister.

His eyes followed the new couple as they exited the common room to spend time together. He couldn't fail to notice how both Harry and Ginny's eyes lit up when they looked at each other. It was happiness that he didn't think he had seen on either of their faces in the past few years. How could he begrudge them that in a time of war?

"Are you ok?" Hermione asked him, causing him to take his eyes off the now-closed portrait hole.

"I think so," Ron answered as honestly as he could. "I just wasn't expecting to see that happen in front of me."

"Weren't you the one who hinted at Ginny to choose better last year?"

Ron thought back to that conversation on the train home last June. He had said that, but he had refused to get his hopes up that either of them would ever see the other in that way. He had obviously missed the signs that they were falling one another, all thanks to his own unexpected relationship with Lavender.

"How long has he liked her?" Ron asked, knowing Hermione would have picked up on it sooner rather than later.

"Honestly? I don't know precisely when he fell for her or even when he realised that he had, but I began to notice that Harry was falling for Ginny around the end of November, beginning of December."

"That long?"

"Probably longer," Hermione suggested. "Remember, we did spend a lot of time with Ginny over the summer holidays, which gave Harry the chance to get to know her better. I am not surprised I didn't figure it out sooner because he handled Ginny's relationship with Dean well."

Ron gasped before turning to look where Dean had been standing, only to notice he was no longer in the common room. He suspected that Dean had not handled Harry and Ginny's kiss all that well, which therefore had the potential to cause problems in the dorm later on. He understood, all too well, what it was like to see the person you had a crush on dating someone else, but Dean probably had it far worse when he shared a dorm with Harry.

"In all honesty, I had hoped that Harry would fall for Ginny," Ron said as he pushed aside his concerns about Dean. "I think I was probably being biased when I told Ginny to choose better, because Harry is my best mate. Yet, at the same time, even I saw the impact she had on Harry last year. She seemed to be the only one who could put up with his moods and get through to him when he was really struggling."

He knew what he said was true as thought back over the events of their fifth year. Ginny had never once been scared to put Harry in his place. Harry had listened to her when she had made it clear that he hadn't been possessed. She was the one who had managed to get Harry to talk when he seemed to pull away from everyone after his final Occlumency lesson with Snape. She had also been the one to break Harry down enough to accept that his friends were going to accompany him to the Ministry to rescue Sirius. Ginny was essentially the best person for Harry to date, but he still feared one of them breaking the other's heart.

"I think I just need to get use to the idea of them being together," Ron admitted. "Hoping for it is much different than actually seeing it. I am probably just fussing for no reason."

"I'm impressed, Ron," Hermione replied with a twinkle in her eye. "It seems your emotional range has grown from a teaspoon to a tablespoon."

HP&GW

April 1998…

Having waited a few minutes, Ron followed Harry out of the door of Shell Cottage and onto the beach. He had noticed, over the last several days, that his best mate had disappeared frequently to escape the crowded house. He didn't blame Harry for feeling that way, knowing it must have felt overwhelming to be in the company of so many people after living in tent with just two other people for the past several months.

Ron kept his distance as he wandered after Harry, who he had noticed had walked off in the direction of Dobby's grave. It made him wonder if this was where his best mate sat every day when he left the house. He could only hope, however, that Harry did not use that time to wallow in the guilt Ron knew he would be feeling over the loss of the excitable house-elf.

"I understand why you walked away from her now," he said once he had stopped close by to the grave.

"Sorry?" Harry asked in confusion without turning and looking at Ron.

"I understand why you walked away from my sister now," Ron repeated, being clearer about whom he was talking about. "I honestly thought you had dumped her because you didn't want to be with her anymore. I know I was wrong now and I understand why you broke up with her."

Harry didn't respond. Ron suspected just the mere mention of Ginny was enough for his thoughts to turn to the person he had left behind.

"Hearing Hermione scream the way she did and not being able to do anything to help her," Ron continued on, knowing he needed to say this to somebody before he could even contemplate telling the girl he had long held feelings for, "it tore me apart and made me feel completely helpless."

"I have lost too many people, Ron," Harry finally said. "Your sister… she is something special. Just the idea of losing her scares me. It scares me far more than if it was anyone else. I have always tried to protect you all, tried to convince you all it was too dangerous to follow me, but I never stopped any of you from coming with me once you made it clear you had no intention of letting me go anywhere by myself. This time, I couldn't risk it. I couldn't risk her life."

Ron didn't reply as the words his best friend had said made him realise what he had been trying to deny for this past year. Harry was in love with Ginny, just as much as Ginny was in love with Harry. How he hadn't seen it before was beyond him.

"You love her," he stated, knowing it was true and not needing to question it.

Harry finally turned his face towards Ron, who was surprised to see a small smile grace his best mate's face for the first time in several months.

"I do," Harry confirmed. "If I survive this war, I have every intention of spending with my life with her. As long as she still wants to be with me, that is."

Ron had no doubt that his sister would still want to be with Harry once this war was over. However, he feared the impact it would have on Ginny if Harry didn't survive. He swore to himself that, if the worst did happen, he would be there for his sister the way he should have been after she had been rescued from the Chamber of Secrets. For now, Ron pushed the thought aside and decided to focus on helping Harry end this war and making sure he survived it.

"Well, we better make sure we do everything in our power to make sure you live to see a world without You-Know-Who," Ron told Harry. "I suspect Ginny may just hex me into the next week if I come home without you."

"You will look after her if something does happen to me, won't you?" Harry asked with a serious look on his face.

Ron nodded, unable to speak out loud in response. He truly hoped his best mate survived, but somehow, he knew Harry would give his life if it meant the people that he loved survived. He couldn't fault him, given how many people he had lost throughout his life. He just hoped it did not come to that.

HP&GW

August 1998…

Ron smiled as he looked around the back garden of The Burrow. He honestly didn't think his family would make the effort to throw a party for Ginny's seventeenth birthday, given the impact Fred's death had made on their lives. Yet, here they were, a garden full of friends and family celebrating his sister's coming of age. It was probably one of the best sights he had seen since the end of the war.

He couldn't help the smile on his face widening as he saw the laughter and happiness in everyone's faces. The smile, if it was even possible, grew further when Ron's eyes landed on two of his favourite people.

"What is causing that smile of yours?"

"Harry and Ginny," Ron said to his girlfriend without turning as he pointed towards the other couple, who were wrapped in each other's arms, slowly swaying in circles to the song that was playing over the wireless.

"It's nice to see you smiling about them," Hermione responded, "rather than wanting to go over there and rip them apart."

"Why does everyone seem to think I want to do that?" he questioned his girlfriend as he turned his eyes towards her. "I have absolutely no problem with them being together. I never have. I just don't want to see my best mate snogging my baby sister."

"Have you told them that?"

"Why would I tell them that?" Ron asked, genuinely confused by the question. "The last time I gave my blessing to them, Ginny nearly bit my head off!"

"They know you and your family have been watching them," Hermione explained gently. "Harry understands it, even if it is annoying to have you all watch his every move. However, when it comes to you, the only one he knows that knew about their relationship, he is worried about your reaction."

"Why, though? He knows I understand now just why he walked away from her to begin with. I told him that when we spoke at Shell Cottage. Does… does he think I don't believe he is in this for good?"

"I think you know the answer, Ron, and I think you know what you need to do."

Ron did not respond, but, instead, walked towards where the couple in question continued to sway together. He had not been the best friend or brother over the past several years and he certainly was not the best person for expressing themselves properly.

Like all his brothers and his parents, he had watched the couple carefully ever since they reunited after the war. He had not done this to understand Harry's intentions as the rest of the family had done; he had figured those out once he had understood his best mate's need to keep the girl that he loved safe, something he had not been able to do for Hermione. No, for him, it was the fear that either Harry or Ginny would break the other's heart because the war had changed them too much for them to remain together. He could admit that the couple had very quickly proven his worries were not needed. The love, trust and support they shared was what had helped them through the aftermath of the battle. How anyone could doubt Harry's intentions was completely beyond his understanding.

"Sorry to interrupt," Ron quietly said as he reached the couple, who sharing a kiss at that very moment.

"Wow, he apologised as he interrupted," Ginny whispered after the couple pulled apart before turning to look at Ron.

"Can I have a word with Harry?"

Harry appeared to scrutinise him rather than respond to the question, making Ron feel uncomfortable.

"Whatever it is you need to speak to me about, you can say in front of Ginny," his best mate finally said. "You know I will tell her about the conversation if she leaves us to it."

"Hermione may have pointed something out to me that I was completely unaware of," Ron began, wishing he could do this without his sister present, but recognising Harry was right. The couple told each other everything. "It appears you are aware that we, as a family, have been observing your relationship, something perhaps we should not have done. You don't need our blessing or approval to be together."

"No, we don't," Ginny growled.

"That was never the reason I was watching, though," Ron continued, ignoring his sister's comment. "I have never had a problem with your relationship. Just keep the snogging to a minimum in front of me. I have already told Harry that I understand why he walked away from the relationship last year. Trust me, I really do understand that."

"Then, why did you need to observe us? I would never intentionally hurt your sister. I love her."

"I was worried that, with everything you have been through, one of you would end hurting the other because the war had changed you too much for you to remain in the relationship. Out of everyone, you two probably had the worst experiences, especially over this past year, and I was worried neither of you would be able to cope with or support the other."

Ron paused for a second. He had to hold in a laugh, though, as he noticed how the couple were staring at him like he had two heads.

"My point is my worries were not needed. I honestly believe you two are meant to be together and I promise not to walk in and interrupt any more moments between you."

"Thank you, Ron," Harry replied, genuinely pleased by his best mate's comments.

"Just don't bother to try and stick to that final promise, though, Ron," Ginny said with a serious face, though her tone betrayed her face, "we both know you will end walking in on us at some point!"

HP&GW

Ron paused as he finished his last story and turned to look at the newlyweds. He was pleased to see they were smiling and not ready to hex him for his honest telling of how they fell in love.

"I know there have been times when I haven't been the best friend to you, Harry, or the best brother to you, Ginny, but, as I said earlier, I honestly do believe you two are perfect for one another. While it may have taken Harry a little longer to get there, you always trusted one another, believed in and had faith in each other. You understand each other in a way no one else will ever be able to do so. With everything you have been through and fought against just to be able to stand up in front of everyone here today and declare your love for one another, you are the one couple that I, and everyone, know deserve to live a long and happy life together."

Ron picked up his glass of champagne and raised it towards the couple, "To the most deserving and perfect couple I know – HARRY AND GINNY!"