A Hogwarts Romance: Ron Weasley (IN PROGRESS AND UNDER EDITING)

Quidditch

*Ron's Point Of View*

As the day goes on and the time for the day's Quidditch game draws nearer and nearer, I can hardly stay calm. The end of the Hogwarts school year is coming soon, so I'm sixteen now and so is Bella, and this Quidditch game I'm going to play in today will be one of the last games for the school year. If we don't win this game, I just don't know what I'll do! 

"Oi, Ron! Would you relax?" Harry snaps at me during Quidditch practice before the game as I launch into a nervous rant about why we must win today. "The real game hasn't even started yet! This is still the practice! Chill, would you?" 

"Sorry," I mutter, trying to calm myself. "I'm just really bloody nervous, alright?"

"Why are you so nervous?" Harry sighs. "There's still a few games left. Not many, but a few. I know you're always jumpy before a game, but you're even more so today! Why's that?"

"I... I don't know," I say. "I just don't know. I-"

"Oh, Hermione and Bella are here," Harry interrupts suddenly, pointing to where Bella and Hermione are standing in the stands. I turn and smile. The girls wave, and Harry and I both wave back. Then Harry turns back to me and says quietly, "There's a trip to Hogsmeade tomorrow. I think you should ask Bella to go with you. It's the perfect opportunity to tell her how you feel."

"You think so?" I whisper. 

"Yes," Harry replies seriously. "Come on, Ron. You can't hide it forever, you know. You've got to pluck up the courage to tell Bella how you feel!"

"I will," I say quickly. "I just want to make sure I do it at the right moment. It has to be the perfect moment. I want to make sure-"

"Could you quit chatting about Bella?" interrupts Katie, one of the Chasers on our team. She chuckles. "Chatter, chatter, chatter. Do you ever stop? We're supposed to be preparing for the game, you know."

"Right," I say, blushing in embarrassment. "Yeah. Sorry. Guess I got a bit... distracted." Katie seems to find this hilarious and bursts into a fit of laughter.

"Alright, then. Everyone, focus!" Harry says with a little laugh. The rest of our teammates hurry over as Harry clears his throat and continues. "We're playing Ravenclaw today, as you all know. Their team has really improved recently, and they're going to be tough to beat, but I think we can pull it off. We just have to try our best. Can you all do that?"

"Of course we can!" sighs Katie. "Just get on with your motivational speech, Harry. We haven't got much time before the game begins!"

"Right," Harry says, turning red in the face. "Yeah. Everyone... just, um, go back to practicing." He coughs awkwardly as the rest of the team quickly returns to what they were doing before.

"The game is starting in twenty minutes," I inform Harry while anxiously hopping up and down. 

"I'm aware," Harry replies with a sigh. He looks a bit miffed. "Could you stop jumping around like that? It's starting to get annoying."

"I'm just getting warmed up," I protest. "I have loads of energy today."

"Use that energy in the game, then," Harry replies. "Don't tire yourself out now. We've still got time before the game. You said so yourself! You've got a good twenty minutes left to practice-"

"I'm just putting that extra time to good use! Sod off!" I say with a chuckle as I continue jumping up and down.

"Ron, stop jumping!" Hermione calls to me suddenly from the stands. "You'll wear yourself down before the game even begins!"

"See?" Harry says, looking smug and satisfied. "Hermione agrees with me!"

"Hermione always agrees with you," I say with a laugh, but I force myself to stop jumping. And by the time the game begins, I'm even more energetic than before!

The roar of the crowd is deafening as the game starts up. I hear Bella cheering from the stands, and I smile. I suddenly feel more confident than ever before. It's like I have all the power in the world. Throughout the whole game, my body seems to move on its own. I block and stop Ravenclaw from scoring many times, but I never break eye contact with Bella in the stands. I feel electric, in a way. Every time Bella cheers for me, the feeling only gets stronger. 

"GRYFFINDOR WINS!" 

A loud cheer rises up. Harry screeches, "We did it! We won!"

As for me, I hardly even noticed that the game ended. Bella is running towards me across the field, looking thrilled. I charge across the field and swoop Bella right off her feet! I twirl Bella in the air and then press her against me, holding her tightly in my arms. The electric feeling inside me grows even more as I say, "Bella! Will you go to Hogsmeade with me tomorrow?"

"Yes, I will," Bella says with a chuckle, and I let out a whoop of joy. My whole body aches to kiss her, but I somehow manage to control myself. Still, I can't believe she said yes! 

This feels like the biggest victory of all.