It took a while for Lavender to calm down. Once she did, Ron was quick to step away from her before letting out a breath. Feeling extremely uncomfortable, he held her out at arm's length as she wiped her face with the sleeves of her robes.

"Are you okay?" he asked in a slow voice, afraid of what she would do next.

"Well, I kind of have to be, don't I?" Lavender snapped. "It's not like I have a choice in the matter."

"Lavender, I really am so sor-"

"Don't bother," she interrupted, silencing him. "It didn't work out between us, but it's not the end of the world. I'll find someone else."

"That's the spirit!" Ron said in a cheery voice as he lightly bumped her shoulder with his fist, hoping she would find it encouraging. She did not, and he was rewarded with an icy glare from his ex.

Pushing the smile from his face, he cleared his throat. "You're not going to try and hex me or anything, are you?" he asked hesitantly.

"No, but you probably deserve it," Lavender replied before sighing. "I'll see you around, Ron. It was fun while it lasted." And with that, she turned around and walked out of the classroom, leaving him alone.

Ron took a minute to compose himself before walking out as well, glad to find the corridor empty of other students. He walked fast, and by the time he made it to the Great Hall, Hermione was gone and Harry was one of the last ones standing up to leave.

"Where's Hermione?" he asked Harry, falling into step beside him as they walked towards the giant doors, Ron's eyes darting around to seek the object of his affections.

"Who knows? She rushed off a while ago," Harry said, his disinterest over everything still in full effect.

"Yeah, but where to?"

Before Harry had a chance to answer, Ron spotted Hermione making her way towards them and let out a sigh of relief. Her footsteps were slow, though, and with one look at her face, Ron knew something was wrong. When she spotted them, her eyes went straight to Harry, ignoring Ron completely.

"Harry," she breathed once they reached each other. "Did you eat?"

"Yeah," Harry replied, but the word was unenthusiastic, and Ron was sure it was a lie.

Hermione gave Harry a tight-lipped smile. "Alright. Ready for class?'

Harry let out a loud, defeated sigh. "I guess."

Still not acknowledging Ron at all, Hermione took Harry's hand and turned around, heading towards Slughorn's class. Ron paused before following. Taking a few strides so that he was beside Hermione, he looked over at her as they walked.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Fine," Hermione answered in a clipped tone.

Although Harry didn't seem to be paying attention to anything Ron or Hermione were saying, Ron knew he would have to wait until they were alone to press Hermione for more information. In his head, he internally went over the day's interactions, wondering if he'd said or done anything to upset her, but nothing came to mind. She'd been fine with him that morning, but her demeanor had changed sometime before lunch and he had no idea why.

As soon as they made it to Slughorn's classroom, the professor told the students to partner up. Ron looked to Hermione first, hoping he could use this as an opportunity to talk alone with her, but she all but shoved Harry towards him, not giving Ron a moment to protest. He was about to open his mouth and suggest they at least stay next to each other, but Hermione spotted Neville from across the room and made her way over to him, walking so fast that her robes billowed out behind her.

He felt eyes on him and turned to see Lavender and Parvati staring, but neither girl said anything to him, for which Ron was grateful.

"Guess it's us," came Harry's voice from beside him, and Ron turned to see Harry, who looked as if Potions class was just a giant waste of his time.

"Yeah," Ron replied, his gaze going back to Hermione. She was talking to Neville, but the few smiles she was giving the other boy were obviously not real. As if sensing his eyes on her, she looked up and met his stare, but before Ron could so much as smile at her, she turned her head away.

Ron frowned. "What's up with Hermione?" he questioned Harry.

Ignoring Ron's question, Harry spoke in a low, shaky voice. "Ron. You know you're my best friend, right?"

Ron's focus was so locked onto Hermione and trying to figure out what was wrong with her, it took a minute for Harry's words to sink in. When they did, he blinked in surprise, concern over Harry taking over.

"Well, yeah. I knew that, Harry," he drawled, uneasy with the tone of voice his best mate had used.

"You are the best friend I've ever had, Ron. The first friend I ever had. Your friendship means a lot to me," Harry went on, furthering Ron's discomfort.

"Woah," he said, reeling. "Where's this coming from, Potter?"

"In case I… I need you to know that you are the best friend a bloke could ever have. You always have been." Silent, Ron could only stare as Harry went on, words now tumbling from his mouth. "There's not a lot of time left. Dumbledore's just about ready to go, and as soon as he's ready, I have to go too. I don't know if there will even be time to tell you and Hermione goodbye."

"Fuck, Harry," Ron protested. "You're going to be okay, mate. There's really no need for this kind of talk."

Harry clenched his jaw in irritation. "You're not fucking listening," he yelled.

Ron took an instinctive step back, the rest of the class going silent as they turned to see what had caused the outburst.

"Harry?" Professor Slughorn asked, concern etched in his features. "Is everything alright?"

In a flash, Hermione was stepping between him and Harry, facing the dark-haired boy. "It's fine, Professor," she called out in a shaky voice. "Harry just needs to go to the hospital wing for a minute. I'll escort him there."

Slughorn looked anxious. "Is he hurt?"

Hermione gave a tight smile towards the professor. "He'll be fine after he sees Madam Pomfrey."

"I…alright," Slughorn relented.

Hermione ushered Harry towards the classroom door and Ron started to follow when Slughorn called out. "Weebly, there is no need for you to go, too. I am sure Miss Granger can manage Mr Potter on her own."

Irritated, Ron was about to turn and argue, but the angry look Hermione shot him was enough to stop him in his tracks. Biting the inside of his cheek, he stood still, watching as two of the people he cared most about walked out of the Potion's classroom without him.

He managed to continue making the potion without Harry, internally seething that he'd been forced to stay. At the same time, Ron knew Hermione was better at dealing with an angry Harry than he was, but being left behind still stung. He lasted about five minutes before his impatience won out, and he set down his ingredients before walking over to Slughorn's desk.

"Sir?"

Slughorn looked up from his desk where he was grading papers. "Yes?"

"Harry and Hermione left their bags here. Could I take them to them?"

The professor looked as if he were contemplating it. "Okay. But no funny business."

Ron smiled. "Of course not. Thank you."

Turning around, he collected his and his friends' stuff from around the room before heading out. Opening the door, he was surprised to see Harry and Hermione only a few feet outside of it as they stood there facing each other.

"I- erm- I got your stuff," he told them, holding up their bags to show them.

"Sorry, mate," Harry whispered, his eyes on the floor. "I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."

Ron shrugged, quick to forgive. "It's fine."

"I think you ought to rest now, Harry," Hermione cut in, her hand moving to Harry's shoulder.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I think you're right. I'll go on up to my bed." And without another word, he turned around and walked away.

Ron stayed silent as Hermione reached out and took her and Harry's bags from him. "I'm going to walk him up and stay with him," she said in a voice that left no room for argument. "Please go to the rest of our classes so you can tell us later what we missed."

Ron's mouth opened and closed several times, taken aback. "Why are you skipping class too?"

"I need to make sure he actually sleeps," Hermione explained. "I can sit in a chair by his bed and read or something. You know how Harry is, and if he has a nightmare…" she trailed off.

"Let me come, too," Ron pleaded. "I'm just as worried as you are, Hermione."

Hermione shook her head. "We need you to tell us what happens in class, Ron. I'll take care of Harry. Please, do this for me."

Ron resisted the urge to argue and gave her a nod. "Okay. You'll know where I'll be if you need me, I guess," he grumbled.

oOo

When Ron walked into the last class of the day, he was already more than ready for it to be over. He didn't like school very much in the first place, but having neither Harry nor Hermione there had been downright miserable. As he settled into a chair at the back of the class, he heard a couple of Hufflepuff girls giggling on his left, their whispers much too loud.

"I wonder when they'll come out with it?" one of them was saying. "The Daily Prophet would have a field day if they knew that 'The Chosen One' had a girlfriend!"

Ron turned to them. "Sorry to disappoint, but 'The Chosen One' does not have a girlfriend."

The girls turned to him, their eyes widening when they realized who had spoken. One of them, a girl with black hair, grinned over at him. "Then why were he and Hermione Granger all over each other in the corridor earlier?" she challenged.

Ron's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What? Who said that?" he asked.

"Nobody did! I saw them with my own two eyes!"

Ron scoffed. "Then you better get your eyes checked, because that definitely didn't happen."

The girl shook her head. "I know what I saw. They were holding onto each other and not letting go. From my distance, I couldn't tell if they were snogging or not, but I'm pretty sure they were."

Ron's first instinct was to laugh at her ridiculous claim, but as the mental picture of Hermione snogging Harry popped into his mind, he found he was unable to. "That's rubbish," he protested. "They're just friends."

"Maybe that's what they want you to think," the girl suggested. "Maybe they're worried about your reaction to them getting together."

Ron was about to snap back when the professor walked into the room, and he said nothing. Grabbing his quill from his bag, Ron sat through the rest of the class, trying not to water the seed of doubt that had been planted in his brain.

oOo

After class was dinner, and Ron still hadn't seen Harry or Hermione since they'd gone up to Gryffindor Tower. He figured Harry was probably still asleep, and after popping by the kitchens to arrange for three dinners to be sent to the boys' dorm room, he headed up there himself. Although he'd quickly decided not to believe a stupid rumor without merit, Ron was eager to put to rest the ridiculous image that hadn't left his head. Besides, he knew Harry and Hermione didn't have romantic feelings towards each other, and also knew neither of them would betray him like that.

When he quietly opened the boys' dorm room door, Harry was sound asleep, and Hermione's small frame was folded up in a chair at his bedside, her nose in a book. The sight made him smile to himself, and he was quiet as he closed the door and made his way over to her, not wanting to startle her or wake Harry.

"Hermione," he whispered, causing Hermione to let out a small gasp, her wide eyes snapping up to him.

"Sorry," he apologized, giving her a sheepish grin. "Didn't mean to scare you."

Hermione closed her book and sat up, her eyes flicking over to Harry before turning back to Ron.

"It's dinnertime," he whispered as he pulled up another chair and set it next to hers. "I talked to the house-elves, though, and they're going to send our plates up here."

"You better have asked them nicely, or Hermione will have your head," Harry's groggy voice piped up.

Ron chuckled. "Of course I did. You think I want to deal with the wrath of Hermione Granger?" he joked.

Hermione huffed, but said nothing, and only a moment later a tray with three full plates and cups appeared on the foot of Harry's bed.

He let out a loud whoop of excitement. "Fucking starving," he explained as he leaned forward and took a plate.

"Language, Ronald," Hermione admonished, but as always, all her chiding did was make him smile.

The three of them ate dinner together, and it went extremely well. This. Ron had missed this. He'd missed it being just the three of them laughing and joking with each other. There was no talk of anything negative, only lighthearted and happy stuff, something that all three of them must have desperately needed.

"Hey, Harry," Ron said, an idea forming in his head as he set his now empty plate on Harry's bedside table. "Want to go for a fly?"

Harry's eyes lit up. "Hell yeah!"

"Want to join us? You can ride with me, if you want?" Ron asked Hermione, hoping she'd say yes.

The thought of holding her body to his as they rode through the air together caused him to feel warm all over, but Hermione shook her head. "No. I'm going to head to the library."

It was then that Ron remembered their plans they'd made earlier. "Oh yeah. We were supposed to work on our essa-"

"It's fine!" Hermione interjected."You two have fun. You can meet me once you're done."

Ron nodded, and he and Harry grabbed clothes from their trunks to change into as Hermione left. Changing in record time, they both grabbed their brooms and left straight through their open window, the night air cool and refreshing on their skin. They took off, not having any destination in mind, just looping and twirling in mid-air, smiles on both of their faces.

After ten minutes or so, they hovered over the Quidditch pitch, looking down.

"Harry?" Ron started. "Can I ask you something?" Harry shot him a warning look, and Ron was quick to go on. "Nothing about what you and Dumbledore are doing. It's actually about…Hermione."

Harry looked surprised. "Oh. Yeah, okay. What did you want to ask?"

Ron cleared his throat. "How do you see her?"

Harry's face furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Um." Ron could feel his ears heating up, and he stared at the moon as he continued. "Do you see her as a friend? Or more than a fri-"

"A friend!" Harry interrupted in a loud voice. "A sister, maybe. But definitely not, you know, someone I fancy."

Ron let out a breath of relief. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

"Why would you even ask me that question, Ron? Did you think otherwise?"

Now embarrassed, Ron shook his head. "There were a couple of Hufflepuff girls who were claiming they saw you and Hermione all over each other today."

Harry grimaced. "Shit. I mean, yeah, we hugged." He shrugged. "You know how Hermione is. Sometimes she's kind of…huggy."

Ron barked out a laugh. "Yeah. I love it, though." He paused. "I love her."

It was comical how high Harry's eyebrows rose. "Love?"

Ron nodded, immensely happy at finally admitting it to someone. "Yeah. I do."

"Blimey. Well, that's great Ron."

"Yeah."

"Ron?" Harry asked after several seconds of silence. "I need to tell you something."

"What is it, mate?"

"A few weeks ago, Ginny cornered me, and, well, we kind of….kissed."

"What?" Ron gasped, not having expected those words at all.

Harry nodded. "I like her. I have for a while. She likes me, too, and we would be together, but-" He paused. "I didn't want to bring her into my mess. I promised her, though, I promised we could be together…after. If that's even a possibility."

Ron said nothing as he took in all this information. He didn't hate the idea of Harry with Ginny, but he didn't quite like it either.

"I doubt it will ever happen, though," Harry went on. "But if it does…well, I wanted you to know."

"Thanks," Ron said, appreciating the gesture, even if the thought of Harry and Ginny being together made him feel a bit nauseous.

Just then, a silver phoenix flew through the air towards them, stopping in front of Harry as Dumbledore's voice rang out. "Harry, I know it's late, but please come to my office to talk about a few things. Don't worry, nothing urgent, but your opinion is needed."

"I'll go join Hermione in the library," Ron said as the phoenix disappeared. "See you tomorrow."

"Ok. See you," Harry said, already speeding off in the opposite direction.

Ron flew as fast as he could back to their open window. Half because he wanted to see Hermione, the other half because he loved the feel of the cool air whipping through his hair. Dean, Seamus, and Neville were all awake and in the room when he made it there, but he was quick to grab his bag and excuse himself.

Hermione was busy working on her essay when he walked into the library. She lifted her head and looked at him, her expression confused.

"Hey," he said as he sat down across from her, pulling a roll of parchment from his bag.

"That didn't take long," Hermione declared. "Where's Harry?"

"Dumbledore sent him a Patronus while we were flying. Said it wasn't urgent, he just wanted to talk about a few things." Ron shrugged. "He'll probably be there for a while. You know how these things go."

"Oh, yeah." Hermione said as she stared back down at her essay.

"Everything alright Hermione?" he asked. "You've been a bit…off today."

"Yes." she replied, but Ron knew it was a lie.

Reaching out with his hand to set it on top of hers, Hermione pulled her hand away before he could, holding it close to her as if to protect it from his touch.

"What's wrong?" he demanded, now positive that he was the problem. "Why are you acting like this?"

"I'm not acting like anything," Hermione insisted, glaring at him.

"You are. Just tell me why."

"You are not in the position to demand information from me, Ronald."

"I'm not-" He paused and let out an agitated sigh. "I'm not demanding anything from you, Hermione. But as your friend, I'm asking you to confide in me about what's bothering you."

Hermione let out a little incredulous laugh. "Well, then, as my friend, maybe you can respect the fact that I don't want to confide in you."

"Hermione," Ron pleaded. "Please, just-"

"Let's just work, okay?" Hermione cut in.

"Fine," Ron relented, knowing that arguing with her would only make things worse.

They worked in silence for a few more minutes, and Ron couldn't pay attention to what he was scribbling down, his mind on the infuriating witch sitting across from him.

"So, I heard you and Lavender talked earlier today," Hermione said out of nowhere, causing Ron's hand to freeze.

If Hermione knew he'd talked with Lavender, this could mean a number of things. One, Hermione probably knew he'd lied to her about where he'd been after lunch, which might explain her anger towards him. He would definitely have to apologize for that.

And what if Lavender had told Hermione of his feelings for her? The thought annoyed him. He was the one who was supposed to tell Hermione how he felt- not anyone else! Not wanting to jump to conclusions, Ron decided to tread lightly.

"How do you know that?" Hermione said nothing, but she looked up, studying him as if searching for answers. "I mean-yeah...we talked earlier," he went on. "I just needed to talk to her and tell her that-"

"It's really none of my business what you talk to your girlfriend about, Ron," she cut him off.

"My ex-girlfriend, Hermione," he reminded her.

"I wonder what Harry is doing with Dumbledore right now?" Hermione asked, the change in subject making Ron's head spin.

"Wait. Why are we talking about Harry now?" he asked, confused.

"Why shouldn't we talk about Harry?" Hermione argued. "He is our best friend, you know. In case you forgot that fact."

"Of course I didn't. What are you even talking about, Hermione?"

"Well, what did you want to talk about, then?" she snapped.

"I was going to explain why I-" Ron stopped talking, deciding it was not a good idea to tell her he was in love with her while she was mad at him. "Well, maybe we could talk about tomorrow?" he tried instead. "About what you want to do in Hogsmeade, where you want to eat at, stuff like that."

Hermione scoffed. "Yeah, because that's important! Ron, how can you care about Hogsmeade given the fact that Harry's currently going through something so terrible that he can't even tell us what it is?"

The words stung, and Ron knew he did a poor job of hiding his hurt as he stared across at her.

"I'm sorry," Hermione said instantly, now looking guilty. "Ron, I didn't mean-"

"No. You're right," he said, his eyes now on the table. "I guess a day in Hogsmeade isn't as important compared to whatever Harry's going through."

Hermione was quiet, and Ron continued to stare at the table, not knowing what to say. After a moment, Hermione let out a choking gasp, and Ron looked up to see her sobbing, her face in her hands.

Forgetting her hurtful words, Ron jumped up and made his way over to her, kneeling down so he could wrap his arms around her.

"Bloody hell, Hermione," he breathed, panicked. "What is it?"

Hermione just shook her head, her face still in her hands. Ron held her close, his hand running up and down her back as he tried to soothe her.

When she had mostly quieted, he leaned back to look at her. "Hermione, please tell me why you're upset," he pleaded as he lifted a hand to wipe the remaining tears from her face.

Hermione said nothing for a moment, but then she took a deep breath. "I'm in love with my best friend," she whispered.

Ron blinked, the words hitting him like a bludger to the stomach.

His whole world shifted, everything sliding into place with an agonizing clarity. Ron should have known that Hermione returning his feelings was too good to be true. Everything that had happened recently now made sense, and he felt like a fucking idiot for not seeing the glaringly obvious truth earlier. He'd seen Hermione obsessing over Harry lately- had held her while she cried over him for fuck's sake! At the time, Ron had thought it was out of friendship and concern, and although she surely was concerned, there were apparently deeper feelings at play.

Feeling dazed, he lowered his head, not wanting to give away how he felt. He closed his eyes, wondering how the bloody fuck he was supposed to act after her declaration.

"Oh. Um. Right," he managed to mumble before getting up and walking around the table, falling back into his chair and leaning forward. His elbows rested on the table as he stared down at his essay without seeing it.

"Ron," Hermione asked tentatively. "Is that all you have to say about what I just told you?"

"Mm," he hummed, bowing his head down even further as he took slow, even breaths to calm himself. It was then that the anger of the situation hit him, and his head snapped up before he glared at Hermione. "You know what? I do have something to say. He doesn't feel that way about you, Hermione. Sorry."

Hermione's mouth gaped open in shock. "W-what?" she sputtered.

Ron shook his head. "Really, Hermione, you should just forget about it."

"But I-"

He held up his hand, unable to handle hearing more. "You know what? Fuck the essay. I'm tired. I'm going to bed."

With that, he stood up and stuffed his belongings into his bag, crumpling up his essay as his ink bottle spilled all over his hand. He slung his bag over his shoulder, his throat burning and his eyes watering.

He needed to get away from Hermione. Now.

Ron resisted the urge to run, instead walking out of the library as fast as he could, his chest feeling like it was being crushed by a giant fist. He flung the library door open, the back of the door hitting the wall with a loud bang.

Once in the dark and empty hallway, he took off running, not even giving a conscious thought as to where he was headed. His eyes darted around, desperate to find a private place. When he came upon an empty, unlocked classroom to his left, he opened the door and ran inside. Panting, Ron pulled his wand from his pocket and locked and silenced the room before placing it on the desk with a shaking hand, not trusting himself to hold it at the moment. He paced the room, angrily swiping away the tears that were now escaping his eyes.

He'd never been so mad in his entire life, yet he wasn't even mad at all. He and Hermione had been getting closer lately, but now he realized it was only because she needed a friend. She needed to get closer to him in order to confide in and divulge her secret love for the one she really wanted to be with. She needed someone to help her decide what to do with her love for 'The Chosen One'. Ron picked up an empty ink bottle from one of the desks and hurled it at the wall, shattering it to pieces. The action gave him a small amount of satisfaction even as he drowned in his misery.

No way in hell would he ever be able to be that friend for her. Her revelation hurt. It hurt far more than Ron would have ever expected it to, and he would have expected it to hurt a lot.

All he wanted was her. He'd held her, he'd been attentive, he'd tried to do everything right. But in the end, it wasn't enough. He wasn't enough.

Ron thought he'd been heartbroken before. When Hermione hadn't been speaking to him while he was with Lavender, his chest had ached, his life much less meaningful when she hadn't been at his side.

But this?

Nothing compared to the way he felt now. Ron was hollow, numb, and yet the pain was agonizing and unbearable. He felt as if his lungs couldn't take in enough air, his chest physically aching with each breath he took.

When he felt as if he couldn't stand anymore, he fell into an empty chair, his elbows going to the desk as he cradled his head in his hands, tears silently rolling down his cheeks and landing on top of the desk as his unblinking eyes stared at the dark wood.

Ron loved Hermione. He loved her to the point that he couldn't even be mad at her for loving Harry. Harry was, and had always been, the better man as far as Ron was concerned, and her choosing Harry over him should have been expected, but somehow, he hadn't seen it coming.

He groaned.

He loved her so goddamned much, and yet she didn't love him back. Ron could be angry with her. He could yell, and scream, and throw a fuss, but none of it would matter because in the end, her heart still wouldn't belong to him because it belonged to Harry bleeding Potter.

He sniffed, feeling utterly broken. Ron had always been jealous of Harry for one reason or another, but over the years, Ron had gotten over all of that. He loved Harry, and he only wanted the best for the git. He wanted Harry to have it all.

But Hermione.

A relationship with Hermione Granger was the one thing that Ron wanted more than anything in the world. Something he'd always felt deep down could happen if he just tried hard enough to win her over. Ron had never even imagined the possibility that Harry would unknowingly win her over first- and not even on purpose!

Ron knew Hermione's feelings for Harry were unrequited, and he tried to see it as a silver lining. As guilty as this thought was, Ron knew he would never be okay seeing Harry and Hermione together- never in a million years. And especially now that Harry knew of Ron's feelings for Hermione, Ron was positive that Harry would never go for her, even if her feelings were returned.

Another sharp pain radiated in his chest when he realized that the date he'd been looking forward to tomorrow would never be. Before tonight, the thought of spending the day alone with Hermione had been the best thing ever, but now all it did was make him feel sick.

How was he expected to be fine now, knowing what he knew? How could he face Hermione again when he had to pretend that his feelings for her were merely for a friend? He couldn't even fathom acting like everything was fine when it sure as hell wasn't. Not for him.

Ron didn't know how long he sat there alone in that classroom, but after a while he gathered what little strength he had left, taking a shaky breath as he wiped his face and neck. He rose from the small wooden chair and gathered his things before heading back towards Gryffindor Tower where his bed awaited him.