What Could Have Been

Yay! I am less tired now so I will start concentrating more and making it more JK-like. As in funnier and stuff.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Harry woke up the next morning with a slight headache which he knew had nothing to do with a hangover. It was probably more to do with the fact that he hadn't slept much all night. He'd spent most of it wondering how he felt about Ron and Hermione.

There was bright morning sunlight filtering through his hangings. Harry sat up and pulled them open. Ron was pulling on a sock. He noticed Harry and nodded, smiling. They were still on good terms. That was a good start.

As Harry felt for his glasses, he heard Seamus' voice.

"I heard you got off with Hermione Granger last night, Ron!" he called, "Is it true?"

Harry was sure Ron looked at him before speaking.

"Yeah," he sighed, clearly unsure whether he should tell Seamus or not. But he had obviously ignored this and told him anyway.

Seamus laughed, and left the dormitory. Ron tied his shoes up and sat on his bed to wait for Harry.

"Are you alright?" he asked nervously.

"I think so," Harry replied. He quickly dressed, all the while thinking. What was he going to say to them today?

"Should we go down, then?"

"Yeah." They started to walk across the dorm, and when they reached the door, Harry thought of something. A possibility he had not yet considered.

"Are you and Hermione - you know, actually going out, then? Or did you just kiss, like, as a one-off, or whatever?"

Ron stared at him.

"We're going out," he said simply. There was a hint of a smile on his face, though he tried to remain serious.

They spent the rest of the walk in silence, although admittedly it was only about thirty seconds. Hermione was waiting for them in the Common Room.

"Morning Harry - Ron," she greeted, reaching her arms out for a hug. Harry watched them - the smiles on their faces in particular - and he knew they were much happier for being together.

"We should really talk," he blurted out, breaking them up.

They both looked at him. Hermione nodded slowly.

"Yes. We should."

Flasback

Ron gulped down a glass of butterbeer in one breath and refilled it. Hermione watched him, amused.

"You're drinking a lot tonight! What's got into you?" she giggled.

Ron blushed - she'd noticed.

"Wel, I - I need a lot of - erm, alcohol ..."

"Why?"

"For - err - to get drunk!"

Hermione looked at him severely.

"No one's getting drunk, especially not you. Come on, let's go and dance -"

"NO!" Ron yelled, "I mean, let's ... let's not ... it's too warm, we might get ... you know, sweaty."

"So?" Hermione was surveying him, puzzled, "Why are you acting like this, Ron? You're being really strange."

Ron looked at her hopelessly for a moment before refilling his glass and draining it again. He needed the extra alcohol, even if butterbeer wasn't very strong. He wiped butterbeer foam off his top lip and had to swallow again, even though his mouth was now completely empty.

"Look, Hermione," he began awkwardly, "There's something I wanted to say to you. It's the only real reason I came to this stupid thing."

Hermione smiled slightly. She knew exactly what Ron was about to say, and she suddenly realised there was no need for him to embarrass himself and say it.

"Ron, it's alright. You know why I asked you to this, don't you?"

Ron, who had been refilling his glass again, froze.

"Erm - I do now," he said, laughing slightly.

Hermione joined in with him, before standing on tiptoe and kising him on the lips.

End Flashback

Harry, who just minutes ago had been feeling confused and doubtful, had a huge grin across his face.

"And you didn't mind the taste of butterbeer, did you?" he said.

Hermione turned pale pink, but shook her head.

"I'd had some myself, you saw it."

Ron snorted, half embarrassed, half pleased.

"What do think of it, then?" he asked Harry.

"What? The whole you-two thing?" Harry's smile became, if possible, even wider, "I'm really pleased for you. Honestly, I am." He chuckled a bit, "You'll probably argue a bit less, anyway!"

Ron put on a look of mock indignance and threw a cushion at him; Harry dodged it.

"But really, though - I am happy."

And he was. After he'd got over the initial shock, he'd realised that having two best friends who were going out wouldn't be so bad. And it was their choice, really. He didn't have anything to do with it - he couldn't stop them. But he didn't want to. He was even starting to like the idea.

As long as they don't go round snogging in front of everyone, he thought.

Lavender Brown looked ready to give Ron another big smile that day as they went down to breakfast, but this was replaced by an open-mouthed look of horror as she noticed his hand was in Hermione's. She glared at them both and flounced away.

Parvati didn't follow her straight away. She turned to Ron.

"Sorry about her," she sighed, "Don't tell her I told you this, but -" she lowered her voice, in case Lavender was still there and listening to every word, " - she fancies you, Ron. She's been going on about you for ages now. How 'adorable your hair is' and how 'wonderfully tall' you are. You should hear her - anyway, I'll see you later."

She smiled briefly before hurrying off. Ron turned to Hermione and Harry, his face mirroring Lavender's.

"She fancies me?" he repeated, "Lavender Brown? Who would've guessed that?"

"Yeah!" Harry was as shocked as Ron was, "I can just see you snogging her, though ..."

Hermione laughed as Ron gestured rudely at him, but then he joined in.

"Yeah ... anyway, come on, I'm starving."

Indeed, his stomach was rumbling. Hermione put her other hand on it.

"Wow, you must be hungry," she said, smiling. Harry thought she was mad.

Ha-ha Lavender! But if Ron had fallen out with Hermione ... eurgh. Let's just say the words 'Won' and 'Won' spring to mind. Sorry it took so long, please review! Oh yeah, and I seriously doubt there will be a flashback in the actual books, but it seemed to fit here, so ... mbleurgh. You know.