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Of course, now he bitterly regretted his hasty and unthinking declaration the previous Halloween night. In true Harry fashion, once Ron had made the first move, Harry had offered his forgiveness without a single bat of an eye—Harry had the biggest heart Ron had ever seen, especially when one considered his upbringing. In anyone else, the effect of his neglectful guardians would have produced quite the opposite kind of person, Ron was certain. But despite Harry's forgiveness and acceptance of Ron's apology, it had introduced a distance between the two, a distance which had never been there before… and which Ron was uncertain how to bridge.
But even more than the distance between Ron and his best friend, Ron regretted the fact that his behavior had essentially pushed Hermione away from him. Of course Hermione had supported and believed Harry—Ron should have known she would. Hermione had grown up as much of an outsider as Harry—there was no way she would have given up such a friendship without some catastrophic event to completely destroy it. And this did not even take into account the closeness she had always shared with Harry, a closeness which Ron suspected surpassed even that between Ron and Harry.
And while Harry was his best friend, he wanted Hermione to be more—so much more. Of course, his friendship with Hermione remained the same as ever; as always, they mixed equal parts hanging out and sticking up for one another with an equal part of fighting with one another.
However, Ron had been making an attempt to argue less with her while trying to appear more in tune with her personality—almost like he was wooing her without making any overt moves. It had been difficult—after all, the things in which she was most interested, books and studying, did not really mesh well with his love of Quidditch and chess. Regardless of their different personalities, Hermione was turning into an attractive young woman, one who he would love to know on a more personal, intimate basis. If only it was not for Harry.
But then that was not fair either—Harry was the linchpin that kept them together, after all, and Ron was aware that Hermione would likely never have been more than just another annoying girl in his year without Harry.
But without Harry, there would also be no competition for her affections—of that he was certain.
Some people considered Ron slightly slow and thick when it came to those around him, and objectively, Ron knew he tended to be single-minded and to miss things that others would pick up on. But Ron was anything but stupid, and he was far above average in some areas. He had made an attempt to be more observant around his friends this summer, particularly watching for any hint of affection beyond that of mere friendship between his closest friends.
And what he had seen between them had not encouraged him at all—without seeming to be aware of it, they were close, far too close for Ron's comfort. Their eyes lingered on one another a little too long, they touched more than was necessary—nothing more as of yet than a comforting hand on the shoulder or the tips of their fingers on an arm to emphasize a point—and they truly seemed in sync with one another. It all would have appeared platonic and completely innocent to the disinterested observer, yet to the newly observant Ron their actions had spoken loudly and uncomfortably for his ambitions.
The major problem, to Ron's point of view, was the fact that if it came down to a choice between him and Harry, Ron was almost certain what Hermione's choice would be—and it would not be in his favor. Consciously or unconsciously, Hermione would always put Harry first, and if Harry were to express any interest at all in Hermione, Ron knew her choice would be made without even thinking about it. There would be nothing he could do to alter her preference.
But then this morning's events had completely thrown everything for a loop, but amazingly enough, it had worked to Ron's advantage. Being betrothed to another, Harry could hardly be any competition to Ron's pursuit of Hermione any longer, a fact which had Ron elated. It seemed fate had intervened in his favor for once.
But then the other side of Ron, the jealous prat who had reared his ugly head the previous year in the tournament, was slightly put off that Harry had once again, through no effort of his own, seemed to fall into a good situation. He had become engaged in an instant to a young woman who was possibly the most beautiful Ron had ever laid eyes on. How in Merlin's name did Harry get so lucky?
Shaking his head, Ron turned his thoughts away from his musings and peered surreptitiously at the young woman he hoped would become much more in his life than a mere friend. Hermione sat quietly staring intently at something only she could see, appearing as conflicted as he felt. She seemed somewhat disappointed to Ron's point of view, no doubt unhappy Harry was now off the market.
Still, that again could work to Ron's advantage. Perhaps he could be there for her—provide a sympathetic ear to listen to her troubles.
That was it, Ron decided. He would forget about Harry's good fortune and concentrate on his own. He would win Hermione's heart!
The subject of Ron's musings was engulfed in thoughts of her own.
Harry was free. He would not be taken from her—he would return to Hogwarts with her this year, and everything would be unchanged from what it was before.
But Hermione knew it was not the truth—everything had changed. Certainly Harry would continue to be her best friend and confidante; they would continue to do everything together, she would still see him every day.
But it would all be different, too. The new Harry would be promised in marriage to another, and eventually he would owe his allegiance to someone else. She would stop being the most important female in his life.
Hermione knew she should be happy for Harry—happy he had managed to avoid the fate for which Fudge had been pressing; happy he would continue to be a factor in her life.
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