Versions// Ron Weasley X Reader

Twenty Two

Christmas dinner was a blur. The only thing I remember from the rest of the night is going into Ginny's room to see my trunk wearing a brand new wheel. 

The rest of the holiday passed uneventful. Ron didn't make any moves, but continued to be awkward. Hermione seemed off, but still mostly her normal self. Ginny and Harry didn't become an official couple. Fred and George never got to test their Puking Pastille 2.0's.

The train ride to Hogwarts was silent. We barely spoke to each other the whole way to school. 

I kept searching for something, trying to find any kind of answer. Was I ready to admit my feelings for Ron? Was I the best version of myself possible? Was there anything I could do right?

The first night back at Hogwarts, I couldn't sleep. I almost missed sharing a bed with Ginny at the Burrow, because that started to feel like home. This went on for weeks.

I spent about 3 months back at Hogwarts sleep deprived, confused, and lonely. I still talked to Ron and my friends, but something was still off. I didn't know how to get our friends back to the way they were before, and it kept me up at night.

It must've been about three am on some night in late March when I couldn't take it anymore. 

I snuck down into the Common Room, thinking the fire could give me clarity or something, when I saw a writhing mass on the couch. I froze. My wand was still upstairs, I don't wear socks to bed. I scanned the room for a light, or a weapon of any kind. Was it a monster? How did it sneak in here?

Before I could find anything in the darkness, I heard a moan. Coming from the mass. When I realized that the mass was actually two masses, getting cozy on the couch, I gasped. I should've run away, let them be, but I gasped loud enough for the two of them to break apart and draw their wands. 

I shut my eyes. "Sorry guys, I couldn't sleep! I didn't hear you or anything, I'll leave you alone now!" I started to turn back to the stairs.

"Wait, Y/N?" A familiar voice asked. A very specific familiar voice. I turned around and gasped again, apologizing immediately.

My ex boyfriend, Dean Thomas, had been making out on the Common Room couch with his 'good friend' Seamus Finnegan. I blushed and waved.

Seamus grew a bit red in the face but Dean just chuckled. "Ah, this is awkward..." He said. 

Then it dawned on me. "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh, I was YOUR beard!" Dean furrowed his brow. "I mean, everyone just thinks its the other way around."

"Er, d'ya think you could... Keep this quiet? For now?" Seamus piped up. I widened my eyes.

"Yeah, of course. I feel really bad for barging in..." I said. Dean smirked.

"I should probably tell you... When we dated, I was... I wasn't exactly..." Dean tried to explain. 

"Nope, it's okay. I got it," I said and awkwardly chuckled. I gave them both a nod, and turned once more towards the staircase.

"For the record," Dean called after me, "You were the best girlfriend I'd ever had! I hope you find someone real to be that for!" 

I slowed my ascent up the stairs. Did he really mean that? I mean, no, it was definitely mostly a joke. I made my way back to my dormitory and sat down in my bed.

Dean, my first 'real' boyfriend, was apparently not a real boyfriend at all. I couldn't be mad at him, and the situation is admittedly hilarious, but it was also a little strange to find out. 

Call me obsessive, or an over thinker, but I began to replay Dean's words in my head. I was the best girlfriend he's ever had? It may not sound like much, and it's probably a total lie, but Dean Thomas has dated a lot of girls in the past. He was also one of the coolest guys in our year, so I hoped I could trust him. 

'Find someone real to be that for?'

Was Dean telling me to date somebody real? As in, not someone questioning their sexuality? Someone who was all in it for me, who deserved me at my best? Someone who I really wanted to be the best girlfriend ever for? Or was Dean just telling me to get laid?

I lay back on my bed, covering my face with a pillow. Of course there was an immediate answer. There was someone I should've started dating months ago, but I was just never ready. What if seeing Dean tonight was a sign. Maybe his words of wisdom were supposed to lead me somewhere.

I knew I wanted to be with Ron. I knew I could make him happy, and he'd do the same for me. There was just something missing. It had been missing, for months. Before, I'd assumed the energy was just off, something was broken that I couldn't fix. But I really thought about Dean's words.

Find someone real.

I thought back to the Christmas holiday at the Burrow. How I had genuine conversations with Ron. We really looked at each other for the first time. That was real.

That shook loose another memory. Luna. Not being with her, but what she said about Draco and Hermione. They were experiencing something. They held each other the way lovers do.

I threw the pillow off my face and sat. I know exactly who I need to talk to.