Ron's Take

The Burrow

The Garden

One Day Before the Wedding

Harry looked in awe as the gnome I threw spiraled at least ten feet higher and twenty feet farther than the one he had thrown previously. I smirked in mock wonderment at my own strength.

"Well, I guess that beats your throw."

"It's not fair," Harry whined. "You're the Keeper - you're used to throwing things."

"That's no excuse," I said. Both of us were sounding all for the world like snotty little twelve-year olds - it had been a full decade since that lovely time, I shudder to think, but we were doing it intentionally. Harry, Hermione and I hadn't acted like kids in goddamn years. Noble and world-saving cause it may have been, but nevertheless, now with a job well done behind us, we were focused on recouping lost years - particularly Harry, who had now thrown off just about the biggest weight anybody can bear, and was a lot more carefree and looked it, too. Even Hermione loosened up, although that's a relative statement, as it meant smiling discreetly behind her hand at our childish antics. I teased her about it constantly, wondering if she had ever really been a kid at all. It was only in jest, though, and thankfully, she knew this as well. Nobody in the world could be closer than the three of us, in my opinion. We knew each other intimately.

A little too intimately sometimes. Not that it bothered me, actually - it's just that I'm a wimp. So having Harry, now ready and willing to delve into adolescent teasings such as romance, already well aware of my feelings about Hermione despite me never actually voicing it to him - well, it was a little annoying, to say the least. Add to this the constant fear that Hermione was just as aware of my feelings as Harry - well, then we get into another idea all together. After all, if this was so, Hermione had chosen to very politely ignore them, which leads to the conclusion that she never bothered to confront me about it from the bottomless kindness of her heart. And of course, that means that she doesn't like me. Sometimes I feel this line of reasoning is the biggest thing stopping me from just trying to sweep Hermione away someday, since almost everybody knows about my feelings without me telling them - wouldn't Hermione too? But love can keep people blind, and lately, I've been getting...I don't know, vibes from Hermione. I say lately - I actually mean the past five years. Why haven't I made my move? Simple. I couldn't. There was no time and absolutely no way Hermione and I could even grab stolen kisses from month to month had I bothered, due to our extremely intense involvement in the war. There were proclamations, and we most certainly got closer as well, so I don't feel like it was entirely wasted time, but I think now, it's about bloody time I get to business! Nevertheless, tomorrow, at Percy and Penny's long-awaited wedding, I was determined to ask Hermione to dance with me, and then later - within the week, and preferably on that same day, finally voice my feelings. If I'm lucky, I'll get to kiss her. The fact is, I can't just spend the rest of my life mooning over Hermione. It needs to be definitive, and I need to know precisely how she feels about me. I may essentially be doing something that will break my own heart here, but at least then, it'll eventually heal, and I'll be able to move on.

Of course, it never hurts to get a second opinion...

"Harry?" I said as I grabbed a gnome and swung it extravagantly around over my head - narrowly missing Harry's, who had to duck to avoid it - and hurling it out of sight.

"Yes?" He said as he vainly tried to beat my record. I heard him curse as the gnome didn't even come within a yard.

"What do you think about - you know, Hermione?"

Harry raised his eyebrows. The bastard! He knew very well what I was getting to, but he was going to make me say it out loud. Meddler. "Well, I don't know - a little bossy, but otherwise alright. Damn." Another failed attempt.

I grinned but didn't say anything for a moment as I scrabbled for a very evasive gnome. Finally, I grabbed it and hurled it unceremoniously. "I mean - well, you know what I mean - do you think she - you know, that she - maybe she - likes me?" Damn, can't I even talk about her without stuttering all the time? I sound like some kind of giggly teenage girl talking about a Quidditch star.

Harry waited a beat, and I knew what was coming. That didn't make me any less irritated. "Well she's been your friend for - what now, eleven years? So I'd say so, yeah. Damn!" At least I had some satisfaction knowing that not being able to beat my record was going to continue to enrage him for the rest of his life.

Bloody hell. I might as well just go out and say it. "Well, do you think she loves me?"

A-ha! He most certainly was not expecting me to say that without quite a bit more coaxing - or irritating, depending on your point of view. He rested for a bit, putting his hands on his knees, after a running start had failed to successfully get his throws farther than mine. "Well - yeah, I do."

I started, and my hand slipped, causing my gnome to barely even slip it over the fence. I hadn't been expecting his comment any more than he had mine. I checked his expression to see his sincerity, or whether he was playing another trick on me, talking about love as love between friends. But his face looked serious, and his voice too. "Really?" I said, unable to generate an intelligent response.

Harry sighed for a moment, then patted me on the back. "Look mate, I've known you two for a long time. I think it's about time - don't you?" Harry said, struggling slightly with his words but knowing that I would know what he meant. I nodded, with a serious expression on my face. This was almost as important to Harry as it was to me and Hermione - we were both like siblings to him, I knew. His family, basically. "Besides," Harry grunted as he hefted an unusually small gnome. "Presumably you guys would stop your goddamn bickering all the time if you decide to snog each other instead. YES!" His gnome had unceremoniously skidded to rest barely a foot after the previous record, his expression showing pure elation.

I smirked, preparing to wipe the expression off his face, serious matters forgotten. I picked up the final remaining gnome, which squeaked and kicked futilely in fear of my huge and rough hand descending on it. I prepared and put all my weight behind the throw, successfully clearing Harry's previous record by a few feet. I shrugged in mock sympathy as Harry's expression froze.

"Maybe next time."

Harry grunted in bitter assent as he shouldered past me, going back to the Burrow. "Let's go find Hermione and Gin."

I chuckled as I followed him into the house.