What Ron Did

Harry was in bed with the covers over his head, but Ron knew he was wide awake. He couldn't believe what he had just seen and heard. Hermione loved Harry. And not only that, he loved her back!

Ron padded down to the Gryffindor Common Room. He was almost positive that Hermione would be there. And she was. She had curled herself into a little ball at the end of the couch and covered herself with a blanket. Was she... yeah. She was definitely crying.

"Hey, Herm. Mind if I join you?"

Hermione shrugged, so Ron took it to mean "go ahead" and sat down and made himself comfortable. "You know," he said conversationally. I heard the strangest rumor today."

Hermione hated gossip and rumors.

"I heard that you and Harry have feelings for each other."

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Ron, I know you know everything. So just come out with it. Are you angry?"

"Honestly?"

"No," Hermione said sarcastically. "Lie to me."

"No. Honestly, yes, I am rather angry."

Hermione closed her eyes and sighed. "Well, Harry and I aren't going to be together, so please don't be angry. I don't think I could stand it."

"You're not going to be together because of me?" Ron asked curiously.

"We're not going to be together because we don't want to jeopardize our friendship. After all," she continued bitterly. "We are the three musketeers."

"All for one, and one for all," Ron said quietly.

Hermione didn't respond. Instead, she shifted on the couch so she was a bit more comfortable and stared lifelessly into the fireplace, which was a bit odd since fire wasn't really all that amusing to watch. So Ron instead watched her body rise up and down as she breathed. He watched the fire dance on her hair and in her eyes.

"So are we just going to avoid this? Are we just going to pretend that nothing happened?"

"Do you want to?"

Hermione thought about this. "No. I want to be with him, Ron. I love him so much. I mean, you can't even begin to imagine how much I love him and how much I want to be with him and how much nothing in this world would make me happier than just to have him hold me and kiss me again."

Ron stared at her, his jaw tense. "Hermione, I will never allow this. Never." He reached over and grabbed her wrist. "Come with me."

"Where are we going?" Hermione asked, actually looking scared.

It made Ron's heart break into a million pieces. Hermione was scared of him, even if it was just for a moment. "Just trust me," he told her. He pulled her upstairs to his room and opened the door.

"Hi, Ron," Harry said, looking out the window and not noticing who he was with.

"Ron, what are you doing?" Hermione asked.

"Doing what I should have done a long time ago," Ron responded.

Harry looked at them curiously. Ron's hand was still on Hermione's wrist. "Ron?"

"Harry, you and I are best friends. And you love each other. It shows on your face now that I think about it. Every time we mention her name or talk about her. All those times you asked me if I liked her." He looked at Hermione, releasing his grip on her hand. "I love you," he told her. "I love you the same way you love me. Like family. No offense, Herm, but I've been carrying on a secret romance... well... not so secret anymore, but... anyway... I've been secreting meeting Luna in the Astronomy Tower."

"I knew you weren't going to study," Hermione said. "Your grades were way to low."

"Oh, quiet. That's not important. What's important is that you two love each other. And I would never allow myself to come in between my two best friends." He again held Hermione's wrist and pulled her over to Harry. He took his hand, as well, and joined them together. "Just promise me that you won't spend all your time together and forget ickle Ronnie over here."

Harry grinned. "We'll try."

"Good enough," Ron said, grinning back. He looked over at the clock. "Well... if you'll excuse me... I'll just wander the hallways and accidentally end up in the Astronomy Tower." He put on his robes and stuffed his wand and a few sickles into his pocket. He turned around to look at Harry and Hermione, who were so lost in each others eyes that they barely noticed his was still there. Ron quickly snuck Fred and George's latest creation, an Extendable Eye, into his robe as well. Then he exited, pulling the door shut behind him.

Ron placed the extendable eye against the door and watched. He grinned as Harry lowered his head to hers and kissed her. Chuckling to himself, Ron wandered off to find his light in the dark, his Luna.