A/N: I sincerely apologize for the length of time I took to update. Fanfiction writing isn't my thing, so please bear with me. I promise I'll get better in time. I'd like to thank H_HrFan for being my beta.
(2/3)
The sun beamed through the thin curtains of the window in Ron's bedroom at the Burrow. No sooner had he snuggled against his pillow to block out the sunlight then he jumped at the sound of his bedroom door being slammed against the wall. Footsteps hurried to his bedside and a figure loomed in front of him. Before he had the opportunity to slur a few inappropriate words of annoyance, he received a sharp blow to his back.
"Wake up!' a girl's voice yelled. Ron raised his head up and the figure slowly came into focus; her bushy brown hair the first thing he noticed: Hermione.
"Blimey! Did you have to wake me up to reality?!" Ron moaned. "I was having an amazing dream that I was in a Hermione-free world." He buried his face in his pillow once more.
"Care to wager your life on that remark?" Hermione responded scornfully.
`Wha -'
Ron's bed cover flung off as he turned his head to her statement. She gripped the cover tightly with her fist, challenging him with her eyes.
"Is it that time of the month again? Or do you just take great joy in waking me up?" Ron hissed, rising to her challenge.
Hermione's cheeks reddened as she angrily threw the cover in his face. "Next time I'll remind myself to not wake you up for the important events such as your brother's wedding. And in case you hadn't noticed, Ron, Harry woke up hours ago. You're the only insensitive git still sleeping as though there isn't anything to be done!" Hermione's voice escalated with each word and when she was through, her nostrils flared and her chest heaved.
For the most part, her speech left Ron gaping. It was one of those things Hermione seemed to always accomplish. He couldn't think of an argument where she hadn't left him baffled. He loathed her self-righteousness and often wondered why he bothered to argue at all. It was like an unexplained force, nagging at him to disagree or fight against everything she said. He often wondered if they would have ever been friends, let alone best-mates, had Harry not been around.
He did care about her, contrary to popular belief, but it seemed that there could never be peace between them verbally. He liked being heard and, unfortunately, so did she. Their arguments caused many to think that he had a soft spot for her. When, in his life, had he confessed he liked her in that way? Let alone, had an undying love for her. Could people not see their differences? Just the thought that even Harry had, on countless occasions, assumed there was something between them, aggravated him. The thought of it made him sit up immediately.
"While you're at it, remind yourself not to come barging into my room! You don't know what state I could be in!" he snapped as his hands glided over his body. Ron was generally a conservative dresser when sleeping since there were often guests at the Burrow, and although he was wearing a white t-shirt and shorts, his comeback caused a blush to rise in Hermione's cheeks. He tried not to imagine what state he might have been in and in the process, made himself blush as well.
Hermione brushed a strand of her hair back and looked toward the window. "Just make sure you clean up and head down," she frowned. Ron could tell she had already regained her composure. He was still trying to think of Quidditch, pumpkin pie, loony Luna -anything to keep his thoughts from straying to what could have been. It took him almost five minutes to recover after Hermione finally left him alone.
+++++
Ron arrived downstairs twenty minutes later, fully dressed and combing down his wet ginger hair. He found that none of the Order members where there. They must have departed last night, he thought. His father was also absent, just as he expected. The only people who sat around the breakfast table were Ginny and Luna. He took note of the magazine they were both buried in, and headed over to the stove to pour a cup of hot tea.
After his first sip, he asked Ginny, "Where's mum?"
Ginny took a while to disconnect her gaze from the magazine to look up at him. "Off with Harry and Hermione," she stated scornfully.
"Doing what?" Ron asked. He quickly glanced in Luna's direction but she appeared just as enthralled by the magazine, and hadn't yet looked up at him. He felt somewhat disappointed.
"Harry needs to get a pair of shoes to go with his dress robes. Hermione needs to meet up with her folks, they're coming to the wedding, and mum is running a few errands."
"What about the rest?" Ron inquired.
Ginny gave an annoyed look before returning her attention to her readings. Her forehead scrunched. "Ron, if you woke up early like the rest of the family than you would know about everyone's whereabouts. Now leave me alone. I'm reading this new article on Muggle make-up."
Ron bit his tongue to keep from arguing any further with his little sister. He made himself some toast, all the while purposely making a lot of noise in the kitchen. When he finally sat down across the table from them, Luna looked up. She stared directly into his eyes causing Ron to squirm. He wanted to eat but the look she gave made him very curious.
Before he had the chance to ask what the matter was, Luna spoke. "Who's your partner for the wedding?"
"What?" He exclaimed. Ginny took that moment to giggle. Her eyes darted from Ron to Luna, who still had her gaze transfixed on him.
"Your partner, you buffoon, for Bill's wedding ceremony," Ginny replied.
"What are you guys talking about?" Ron asked. He seriously had no clue about what they were saying.
"The men, or should I say boys, will have to walk in with a partner, duh!"
"What? Why?" Ron cried out. He couldn't help but feel very small at the moment. He was literally oblivious to the goings-on of the wedding and he even felt very foolish for asking. He needed a partner? When was this said? He thought back to the last time his mother discussed the wedding to the family, but it was like a huge blur. Slowly, he forced himself to remember. And the images started to come together. He was sitting on the couch in the living room that evening thinking to himself about the war. No wonder he didn't remember anything his mother had said; he was still grieving Dumbledore's death. He tried his best not to think about it as he took a bite of his toast.
"You're kidding right?" Ginny responded skeptically. "You mean to tell me that you haven't heard a damn thing mum has said the past week?"
"Yeah, of course I did. But I don't remember me needing to get a partner."
"Well, you do! It's tradition Ron! You will need to dance with a girl at the reception and everything."
"So if it's tradition, who are you going with?" Ron asked haughtily. "Harry?"
Ginny quickly stared back down at her magazine as she got up, "I need to go get ready. Luna and I will be leaving soon." Ron, in a confused state, watched Ginny walk out on him. For some reason he felt the need to throw his toast at her, but his stomach's growl pulled him to a halt.
He ate silently, aware that Luna was sitting across from him, watching him. Avoiding her eyes, he took cautious glances her way. This morning, she was wearing a light, almost see-through t-shirt. Her hair looked silvery in the sunlight streaming through the window. It gave him the greatest urge to dig his fingers into her hair. He wondered if it was as soft as it looked. But he had to hold himself back.
"So you have no partner?" Luna asked, breaking the long silence.
"Uh…yeah…who's Ginny going with anyway?" Ron replied.
"She's going with Neville. He's really nice. I almost wished he asked me first though."
"Why Neville?!"
Luna raised her eyebrow at him, her smile never fading. It took him a second to realize his stupid outburst. Biting his tongue irritably, Ron couldn't believe he reacted that way. Neville was, as she said, a nice bloke. But he wished she hadn't added that little tidbit at the end.
"So…uh, why is Ginny going with Neville? Wouldn't Harry be taking her?" Ron inquired, uncertainly.
"No, he wouldn't be."
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Ron questioned.
Luna shook her head sadly at Ron, "Didn't Harry tell you about the break-up? Anyway, that's the reason why Ginny said yes to Neville. And besides, Harry asked Hermione yesterday."
If Ron wasn't completely blown by the first bit of news, the second half almost made him fall off his seat. His cup of tea already slid out of his fingers and spilled on the table. Luna stood up at once to get a cloth.
It wasn't until after they both cleaned up the mess, that Ron got his mind to re-process the information. Harry and Ginny were not dating. Ginny and Harry were not together. They were the opposite of together. Ron repeated the information in his mind over and over until it sank in. It explained so much. The past few weeks Harry had deliberately ignored any talk of Ginny but was able to play it off whenever Ginny was in the same room as him. As for Harry asking Hermione to be his partner at the wedding, he didn't know how to react. He was partly disappointed because Harry had gotten to her first but kind of relieved that Harry wasn't without a partner.
"A sickle for your thoughts?" Luna said.
Ron fastened his eyes to hers for a minute before replying, "I'm a bit shocked about this. I don't understand why Harry and Ginny broke up. They were so perfect and he was the only guy I trusted near my sister. I would have thought they'd last. Its-"
"-it's more complicated than that," Luna interrupted.
"Oh yeah? How so?"
"I don't know the entire story exactly but Harry doesn't want anyone else put at risk," Luna said in a hushed tone.
"Yeah, well, that's inevitable," said Ron.
"I s'pose," Luna replied in thought.
Ron watched her in silence for a minute. With her so close, Ron could smell the feminine fragrance she wore. It reminded him of the roses his mother grew in the garden and a small smile plastered across his face. Suddenly, he felt very aware of how close they sat. He couldn't explain the sudden heat increasing around him. His eyes lowered, that see-through shirt was beckoning him to touch her. Just take a hold of her arm, waist, anything.
Luna must have felt Ron's piercing eyes because her face slightly paled as she looked up at him. She took a hold of the magazine to shield her chest while Ron's cheeks turned crimson. He had to say something to stop himself from looking like a radish.
"I -uhh...would you like to be my partner?" Ron blurted. His breath hitched as he waited for an answer.
"Are you serious?" Luna asked doubtfully.
"Uhh...yes. Unless, you have a partner or something and if that's the case, my apologies-"
"Of course I'd love to go with you, Ronald," Luna smiled serenely and started humming a very familiar tune. But Ron was so busy smiling back at her while trying to control his urge to raise his hand in a very boyish "score!" sort of way, that he didn't hear her breathe the words, "Weasley is my king."
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