If You Love Her (Ron Weasley)

Thirty

I found myself sitting in the stands of the final Quidditch game of the season, Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw, against my better judgement.

I hadn't spoken to Ron about my plans to attend, I didn't want him to think I was doing so for his benefit.

Of course, I was. But he didn't need to know that.

Hermione was sat beside me, her hand clutched in mine as her way of thanking me for coming down to the pitch to show my support. Not that I thought it made any difference whatsoever.

She had spend the entire week insisting that Ron had wanted me there, but the man himself hadn't so much as glanced my way for weeks and weeks, and her statement seemed like it couldn't be any further from the truth.

Still, no matter how hurt I was at the way he had treated me, I couldn't help but feel nervous for what was to come.

Knowing he was sat in the changing rooms, likely pale and nauseous, with an empty stomach and no self-belief, it made my heart shatter even more than it had when he ignored my letters, and my presence.

It only solidified for me the way I felt about him, I couldn't help myself but to care for him, even when I hated him. Even when he was the reason my heart was broken, he was the reason it skipped a beat.

"You okay?" Hermione asked, her voice shaking me from my thoughts. "You're squeezing my hand,"

"Fine, yeah," I nodded, plastering a smile onto my face. "Just nervous,"

"For Ron?" Hermione smirked.

"No!" I insisted. "For Gryffindor. You know how much House pride I have,"

"Oh yeah, course," She chuckled, rolling her eyes.

The stands slowly filled, and soon enough we were surrounded by fellow Gryffindors, all equally as anxious as we felt. Nobody moreso than the three players who had spent the whole season suspended on the sidelines, who I knew prayed Gryffindor would win, as it would be a beautiful 'fuck you' to Dolores Umbridge.

The match commenced, and within moments the nerves became anxiety, as it quickly seemed like Gryffindor truly could walk away victorious. Within the first fifteen minutes, it became apparent that the entire team were having the game of their lives. Dean had scored eighty points, and Ron had made several brilliant saves.

His confidence grew as the game progressed, and I couldn't help feeling proud of him. He had come a long way since his first game, and though he still got nervous, he settled into matches quickly and he was a steady pair of hands in front of the goalposts.

Despite the games rapid start, the pace slowed after an hour, and whilst Gryffindor were confidently in front, but Ginny didn't seem to be able to spot the Snitch, meaning the game would continue on.

"Do you think- oh," I turned to speak to Hermione, only to notice that she and Harry had vanished.

"They left about ten minutes ago, with Hagrid," Neville explained, a knowing smirk on his face. "You were a bit too enchanted by our Keeper to notice,"

"Shut up," I muttered, too stressed by the match to argue with him.

By the time there was any movement from the Seeker's, the comfortable lead Gryffindor had once held was gone, and the scores were completely even. When Ginny and Cho accelerated upwards, having clearly spotted the snitch in the distance, it was a case of whoever happened to get there first was going to clinch the Cup for their Houses.

That was until Ron Weasley did the unthinkable. My heart was in my mouth as I watched Chambers, the Ravenclaw chaser, accelerating towards the goals, Quaffle under his arm. He threw it upwards, towards the very top goalpost, furthest from where Ron had been positioned. He flipped upside down on his broom, and extended his left leg, kicking the ball away from him.

It headed directly back towards the open arms of the other Ravenclaw chaser, Bradley, who threw it straight back towards the left-hand goalpost. Ron flipped over once again, and let go of his broom, gripping the Quaffle tightly in his hands.

At the same moment, the most glorious sound of Madam Hooch's whistle sounded around the stadium, indicating that the match had ended, and someone had caught the elusive Golden Snitch.

My heart pounded in my chest as the stadium waited to see which Seeker had emerged victorious.

The screams and hollers were deafening around me when Ginny Weasley came into view, holding the Snitch aloft in her right hand. People jumped all around, hugging one another and cheering, but my eyes remained fixed on the one person who couldn't seem to believe his luck.

Streams of people flooded the pitch beneath us, as the teams descended from their brooms, the Ravenclaw team slumping back to the changing rooms, as the Gryffindor team basked in their victory.

"Aoife!" I could just about hear Neville over the noise, and he was already leaving, ready to descend the stairs and join the chaos. "Come on!"

"You go, I'm going to stay here for a minute," He shrugged, leaving with the crowd, and soon enough it was only me in the stands, watching as everyone danced around, and I smiled. For now, I was content just watching. I could celebrate later.

There was so much sadness, so much worry, so much darkness in the world. To watch my classmates be so euphoric, it was a beautiful sight. And for five minutes, I stood and watched.

"Hey," A small voice came from behind me, and I turned to find the most sheepish looking man I had ever seen. I opened my mouth to speak, but he shook his head.

"I know I've been the biggest dick in the world," He started, as he removed his helmet and gloves. "And I know you must hate me. I haven't got any excuses for why I was so awful to you, and I wholeheartedly believe that you deserve someone who is a million times the man I could ever hope to be,"

I stood and stared at him, wondering what this confident man had done with the Ron Weasley I had first met.

"But I am also completely certain that there is no other man in this world who could ever care for you the way I do right now," He looked so sincere, and so sure of himself, that it made my knees go weak. "You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, Aoife Finnigan, and I am so sorry that I didn't grow the balls to make sure you knew it before. But I promise you, I'm going to spend every single day making sure you never forget it,"

He took strides across the stand, and before I could think, he was right in front of me, his hand pushing my hair behind my ear, as if we were the cliche couple in a romantic movie.

"Merlin," He breathed. "You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen,"

And just like that, his lips were back onto mine.