Six months after Ron's shocking confession to Hermione, he had finally found work after twenty four worrisome and frightening weeks. Thankfully, it was still in the magical world, so Ron need not pretend he was a muggle, much to Hermione's disappointment ("You're lucky George had an opening, or you would be clearing tables at a muggle diner!"). George had given Ron a job at Weasley Wizard Wheezes, just as he had almost ten years previously.

Rose and Hugo, on the other hand, found their father's job very cool. They had never been alive to see all the free merchandise he received the last time he had worked in his brother's shop. So almost daily, Ron came home with packages of Ton-Tongue Toffee, Nosebleed Nougat, Edible Dark Marks, Reusable Hangmen, Dungbombs, and plenty of Weasley Wizard Wheezes fireworks. However, Hermione immediately confiscated almost all the items, and told Ron that anything George invented was far too dangerous for her young children. Nevertheless, she allowed them to keep the less dangerous items, such as the Reusable Hangman.

It was on a day like any other when Ron discovered something hidden away in the bedside table next to Hermione's side of the bed that he had never known about his wife.

He hadn't meant to find it, of course. He had been looking for a quill - "Do I have to do a bloody spell every time I want to find a bloody quill in this house?" – and instead found a very old, small leather bound book.

Usually, Ron wouldn't have looked twice at this book, assuming it was one of Hermione's thousands. But what caught his eye was the small, fancy cursive at the bottom of the cover, which looked like it had been carved with magic: Hermione Jean Granger. Then, after "Granger", squeezed into the very corner of the cover and looking like it had almost run off the book, was a small word Ron could barely make out: Weasley.

Curious, Ron opened the book, suspected he probably should not, but unable to help himself.

As he flipped through the book, he quickly realized this was Hermione's diary. Her first entry was dated 1 September 1991 and her most recent entry was dated 26 August 2016. She had been writing in the diary since her first day of Hogwarts.

Inquisitive, Ron flipped through the book and read a random entry dated late 1993.

Ron's furious with me. He suspects Crookshanks ate his stupid rat, even though he has absolutely no proof. I don't know why he's making such a fuss; he had always been complaining about Scabbers, about how old and boring he was.

Anyway, I have enough to worry about without Ron acting like a stupid git. Harry's worried Sirius Black is after him and I have almost no free time because of my classes. I feel like I'm going mad because I only get about two hours of sleep a night anymore. I think Ron's getting suspicious about the Time Turner; he notices when I'm a bit late for class.

Ron immediately stopped reading at this; Hermione sounded really worn down in this entry, and he hated hearing how much pain he had caused her during their school years. Flipping a few pages ahead, he started a new entry dated 25 December 1994.

Honestly, why I hang around that git I will never know. Ron Weasley is officially christened, at least in my mind, the most clueless prat on earth. I was having a perfectly nice time at the Yule Ball with Viktor Krum, and Ron has to go and ruin the whole evening for me!

Shaking his head, Ron didn't finish this entry either. As soon as he read the words "Viktor Krum" he couldn't read anymore.

Hoping there would be no more mention of Krum for the rest of her diary, Ron flipped to another entry farther into the book dated 30 November 1996.

He doesn't get it at all. Do all those moments we've spent alone mean nothing to him? When I finally think we're getting somewhere, he does some spontaneous action to ruin it all.

First, he didn't listen to me when I saw Harry put something in his drink at breakfast. It turned out that Harry had faked putting Felix Felicis into his potion to boost his confidence, but still! How was I to know, or anyone for that matter?

Anyway, he won the game for Gryffindor, bully for him, and as I was coming back from the stadium, I saw him with her and I tried to run for it before I could catch much more, but then he saw me, grabbed her, and stuck his tongue down the tramp's throat right in front of me.

Of course, I know he's trying to hurt me, because he's doing a brilliant job of it. And he had to pick Lavender Brown, because he knew I would be hearing about him 24/7 while Lavender talked nonstop to Parvati in our dorm about him.

Ginny told me though. She told me she had let it slip that I had kissed Viktor Krum, and for some reason he got upset. I know the reason. I've known for a long time. He's completely jealous, and he's using a pretty poor method of trying to get back at me.

But I'm not backing down. He's not going to break me. This is war.

Ron shuddered as he finished the entry. It had indeed been war. For the next few months up until he had been poisoned, he and Hermione had ignored each other completely, with a few hexes and jinxes tossed in. Hermione would occasionally throw a Trip jinx in Ron's direction when he was strutting around with Lavender, thinking he was the best thing to ever hit Hogwarts, which would make him stumble and look around confused. Then, whenever Hermione passed, Ron would make sure he grabbed Lavender and started snogging her at the exact moment Hermione walked by.

Shaking his head at his teenage stupidity, Ron turned the pages again and stopped at 20 June 1997.

Ron and Harry have both changed, especially since I first met them, of course. Between the both of them, I have to say Ron's changed more, and for the better. Harry is still noble and brave Harry, but Ron…he's gone from immature prat to moody, jealous git, to an actual mature adult. Well, not completely mature, but that's Ron.

Honestly though, ever since he was poisoned and Lavender dumped him, he's been really decent toward me, and I think he's really grown up. When we were forced into battle a month ago at school, he promised me that whatever happens in the next year, he wouldn't let anything happen to Harry and me. He saved me from being bitten by a werewolf in the battle, and I don't think he would've done that if we were still furious with each other.

I know I fancy Ron Weasley now, especially since he's done his growing up. And I actually think he might fancy me.

Ron shivered with delight at how relieved he had been when Hermione had first told him she loved him. He flipped through the book once again and ended up on 8 November 1997.

Ron and Harry are both scaring me. We've been taking turns wearing Slytherin's locket, but there seems to be a really unfriendly vibe around us all. Harry goes off on his own a lot while he's wearing it. I don't know where he goes, but I don't really want to know what's going through his head.

Ron scares me most of all. He gets really snappish and mean while he's wearing it, and I see a side of him I've never really seen. He says and does things he would never say or do in his normal state.

As for me, I try not to go off at them while wearing it, but it's hard. The thing seems to know my worst fears and it's constantly whispering them through my head.

I think we're all going mad inside this tiny tent, even without the help of the locket. Our days are numbered by now, and we all know it.

Ron frowned at this entry and clenched his fists to stop himself from strangling himself. Why had he lashed out at Hermione and Harry like that on those many occasions? He knew it was the locket, but he hated being controlled by something so insignificant.

Instead of flipping to a new entry, Ron went through the diary, page by page, simply scanning the sentences in Hermione's miniscule handwriting.

This war is finally over and Ron has made me happier than I had ever been…Ron and Harry have gone off to Auror Training, they said they'll write, but I'm still going to miss them like mad…Harry and Ginny are getting married, I wish Ron would propose soon…I'm getting married to Ron in two months and there is still so much to do…I'm worried about Ron, he's been having dreams about the war and Malfoy Manor…The baby is due in four months and Ron's been such a big help, along with Harry and Ginny, which is saying something because Ginny is pregnant too…Ron and I are so proud, we've had a baby girl we've named Rose Hermione…I'm pregnant again, but I don't know how to tell Ron, we didn't plan for this one, I don't know what to do…Ron's made me feel better about the pregnancy…We've had our second child named Hugo Ronald…I don't know how to deal with this, Ron just told me he'll be away for two years…Ron's been writing a lot, and I'm feeling better about him being gone, but I miss him so much each day…Ron's returned! I'm so glad he escaped the Death Eaters, he was so close to being killed…Ron's acting different, we're getting into more fights every day, and I don't know what to do, I don't want to lose him…Ron's just told me he was fired…Ron's found a new job…Ron…Ron…Ron…

"Ron, what are you doing?"

Ron jumped a mile and turned to see a suspicious-looking Hermione at the doorway. He quickly hid the diary behind his back and said with a very obvious hint of guilt in his voice, "Nothing!"

Hermione, however, was not fooled. "What have you got behind your back?" she asked, trying to get a good look around him. Ron simply backed up against the bedside table and tried to slip it back into the drawer, but miscalculated and the diary fell with a thump on the floor behind him.

Hermione's eyes widened in shock. "Is that my journal?"

Ron turned red from head to toe. "Well – yeah – but –"

"Ronald Weasley, how dare you!" She snatched up the book and faced him angrily. "How old are you? Don't you have to be twelve and under to snoop through girls' journals?"

Ron got over his embarrassment and smirked. "Well, according to a certain entry you wrote in 1997, you seemed to think I grew up at the age of seventeen."

Hermione swelled and fumed, finally letting out a soft scream at him, and leaving the room, unable to argue.

"Hey beautiful!"

Hermione turned around, shooting daggers at him through her eyes for using his nickname for her during a time when she's furious with him.

Ron grinned at her; he always thought she looked her best when she was furious. "Just so you know, I fancy you too."

Hermione rolled her eyes, and left, but Ron was sure he saw a bit of a smile cross her face before she left.