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His hand was resting on the small of her back as she leaned up against him. What a disgusting display. It was burning his eyes. She had to be under some sort of imperius. It was the only explanation. There was no possible way she would be on his arm willingly. That, or he had something on her and was blackmailing her. Yet, when he tried to bring it up with Harry or Ginny, all they did was laugh at him and assure him that what he was seeing was completely Hermione’s choice.
If that was the fact, what made her choose the ferret over him?
The two of them had been friends since first year whereas she and the ferret have been enemies for just as long. They had so much in common, been through so much. All the ferret has done is bully, belittle, and hurt her for their entire lives. Not to mention he was on the other side of the war. The bad side. The evil side. The bastard was a Death Eater. It didn’t matter if he didn’t identify them when they were at the manor, it didn’t matter if he tossed his wand to Harry, it didn’t matter if he gave out personal apologies to everyone he’d wronged over the years. The fact still stood that he was a Death Eater and should be in Azkaban. Instead, he was roaming free and on Hermione’s arm of all places.
It just didn’t make any sense. Nothing in front of him was making sense.
“Where’s the fun in that?”
He turned to see Luna standing next to him, peacefully watching the sight before them as she took a sip of her drink.
“What?”
“Making sense. Sometimes we just have to accept the unusual.”
He scoffed, crossing his arms. “Like that’s ever going to happen.”
“Don’t underestimate yourself, Ronald, you just may see what everyone else can see. Oh, you’ve also got a bunch of wrackspurts floating around your head. I tried to dispel them for you, but there appears to still be some floating around.”
“Oh, uh, thanks, I guess.”
“Have a good rest of your night,” she smiled, walking over to talk with Hermione and the blond git who had her arm in his.
Not seeing much point in standing where he was, Ron decided to go find Harry or the bar. Whichever he spotted first. He needed a drink, but he also needed his best friend. There was no way he was going to deal with the ferret and Hermione on his own or sober for that matter.
By chance, he had found his best friend at the bar speaking to some former classmate of theirs he couldn’t remember the name of.
“Ron,” Harry greeted, nodding his head. “You remember Theodore Nott, right? He was a classmate of ours.”
Once he heard the name, it suddenly clicked. Theodore Nott Jr. Slytherin. Son of a Death Eater. Friends with the ferret. Which meant this guy was trouble. Why Harry was talking with the guy, he had no idea. For now, he’d play it cool.
“Yes, of course,” he nodded. “Nott.”
“Weasley.” Nott turned to his best friend. “I’ll be in touch, Potter.”
“See you around, Theo,” Harry smiled, patting Nott on the back before he turned to him. “Hey, mate. You okay?”
Ron called over the bartender and asked for vodka with lemon before turning back to Harry. “Why won’t you tell me?”
“Tell you what?”
“Why Hermione is with Draco bloody Malfoy.”
Harry sighed, rubbing his eyes before readjusting his glasses. “Because it’s really none of my business and it’s a conversation you should have with her. Not to mention, if I’m being honest, I don’t quite understand it either. But I trust Hermione and her judgment. There’s a reason she’s with Malfoy and while she’s explained everything to me, you have not made the effort to do that.”
“Because he’s Malfoy!”
“Yes, and what of it, Weasel?”
Ron turned to see the ferret standing behind them with his arms crossed and a pissed-looking Hermione right next to him.
“Mione…”
“Don’t you Mione me, Ronald,” she glared. “What the hell is your problem?”
“My problem? What about your problem? I thought we had something going, Mione. The next thing I know you don’t owl me when you’re off at Hogwarts and I hear from Ginny that you’ve gotten with Malfoy of all people. What happened to us, Mione?”
“We wanted different things, Ron. You wanted to follow Harry and be an auror; put evil wizards and witches in Azkaban.”
“Which I quickly saw as a mistake and went to help George with the joke shop,” he interrupted, not seeing the point in what she was getting at.
“And yet you never wrote, never visited when I would be in Hogsmeade, never took an interest in what I wanted to do. You never saw, nevertheless cared about my wants and needs. I wanted to go back to get my NEWTs, get an apprenticeship with St. Mungos, and eventually find a cure for my parents. Not once did you care about hearing about any of that. We grew apart, Ron. You’re still finding yourself and your footing without simply being a part of the Golden Trio. Whereas I have found my place in the Wizarding World and am content with the life I am living. And I hope you find that someday. But I’m afraid it won’t be with me,” she shook her head before walking away to speak with someone across the room, Malfoy trailing close behind not even sparing him a look.
“That still doesn’t explain why you chose Draco sodding Malfoy,” he muttered, glaring daggers at the back of the aforementioned wizard.
“Why does it matter to you so much why Hermione is dating Draco?” Harry asked, sincere confusion written on his face.
“Why doesn’t it matter to you?” he asked back, not seeing why out of all their friends and former classmates, he was the only one seeing the problem with their relationship.
“Because Hermione is happy. After all of the suffering she has faced, she deserves some happiness. And I see Draco fulfilling just that because he supports her. He’s there for the good and the bad. Not to fix, but to simply be there to listen and fortify her needs. Is that not good enough for you?”
“No. I just don’t get what she sees in him. What could Hermione possibly see in a tosser like him?”
Harry sighed, shaking his head in defeat as he patted his friend on the shoulder before talking with some of their other friends. Taking a large sip of his drink, Ron surveyed the room to see so many of his old classmates interacting with people they had considered enemies and rivals during their school days and he was shocked by the sight. How could they all forget what happened at school and during the war? Let alone what Malfoy did to Hermione during their school days. That’s what truly made him question her sanity in getting with the git. She had to be imperiused.
“I can assure you she is not.”
“Luna!” He jumped out of his skin, not realizing the blonde was back by his side. “Are you a legilimens?” he raised an eyebrow, not seeing any other explanation as to how she managed to reply to comments only said in his mind.
“No. You’re just talking to yourself out loud.”
“Oh.”
“I could use a little bit of air. Would you like to join me, Ron Weasley?”
“Not particularly,” he grumbled.
“Well, I would like it if you did. So, if you please…” She stretched out and offered her arm to him, causing him to raise an eyebrow. Usually, it was the man who led the way, not the woman. However, he did remember that it was Luna who was doing it so he supposed he’d let it go this one time. Taking a breath, he wrapped his arm in hers. “Thank you,” she grinned, leading them outside.
There was a soft breeze blowing, causing him to shiver slightly. When he turned to look over at Luna, he saw that she had conjured a shawl to wrap around her arms and had cast a warming charm over the both of them.
“Thank you.”
“Of course,” she nodded, roaming around the gardens of Malfoy Manor clearly looking for something.
Ron didn’t understand how or why people thought it would be a good idea to have a gathering at the place he-who-must-not-be-named once resided and where the biggest supporters of him lived. It didn’t matter if they were the ones hosting the gala or if they had renounced their beliefs. The point still stood; he didn't think it was a good idea. The only reason he had even come was because Harry was going and he was practically dragged here by his siblings that were also coming.
His gaze shifted back to Luna when she waltzed up to him holding what appeared to be a big rock. Raising an eyebrow, he inquisitively looked at her, though saw how pointless that was as she was impossible to understand most times.
“What’s with the rock?”
“This isn’t a rock, Ron,” she shook her head, holding the rock between her thumb, pointer, and middle finger as she shifted it around so that they could see it from multiple angles. He was about to correct her, but she continued. “This is a geode. Don’t you see it?”
Ron had heard some obscure things come out of her mouth in the past. Nargles, wrackspurts, and other bizarre things she believed were real. Yet seeing a rock in front of him and her claiming it to be a geode, was truly mystifying. He could claim it was just Luna being Luna if it was something he couldn’t see or have proof of, but seeing something that is right in front of her and claiming it is something else is something entirely different and he cannot chalk it up to her just being her quirky self. She was going completely barmy. Instead of voicing his thoughts, Ron simply shook his head.
“You know, Draco is a lot like this,” she nodded her chin in the direction of the rock and he tilted his head in confusion. Taking out her wand, Luna cracked open the rock to reveal some shiny stuff inside. Momentarily putting her wand behind her ear, she opened the rock further to show silver crystals shining within. “The outside looks like a regular rock, but the inside is filled with beautiful gems.”
“And how is Malfoy like this rock?” he asked, scratching his head, not understanding the blonde witch.
“It's a metaphor. You see Draco as a rock, but Hermione sees him as a gem. Even if you never see past his dullness, you can see how happy he makes her. And to one of her oldest friends, that's all that should matter.”
With nothing else to say, Luna handed him the cracked rock and headed back inside. Looking down at the rock, Ron could see the small and intricate crystals inside the rock before closing it up. On the outside, it looked like any other rock; pretty plain and not all that interesting or eye-catching. But when he opened it back up, he saw the beauty inside the rock and that’s when Harry’s words from earlier finally clicked.
Huh.
Who knew out of everyone, Luna “Loony” Lovegood would be making the most sense?
Shaking himself out of his revelation, Ron made his way back inside, hoping to find Hermione still present at the ministry gala. He needed to speak to her and have a proper conversation. One that was long, long overdue. He may not be getting a girlfriend out of it, but that’s not what mattered. Not anymore. Instead, he was getting one of his best friends back.