(A/N): Hello! Once again, this was requested by @JulzLovDraco4Eva so hopefully It's good!
Pairing: Ron Weasley x Hufflepuff!Female Reader
Summary: (Y/N) Scamander, Harry, and Hermione help Sirius and Buckbeak escape. When they go back to the Hospital Wing, she and Ron have a small argument that leads to her accidentally confessing her feelings to him.
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(Y/N) caresses Buckbeak's feathers with the largest smile on her face. It has been a while since her last encounter with the Hippogriff and, while she would've loved for it to be on a better occasion, she's happy to see him doing well. It used to be hard to block out the memory of his death sentence earlier but now it just feels like a faded nightmare. He's alive right before her very eyes. "You'll be good, right?" (Y/N) whispers as she lovingly scratches his sides.
The creature makes a content sound and she laughs lightly. "I see you've got your grandfather's natural talent." A voice comments from behind.
(Y/N) turns to Sirius with a nod. "Well, granddad always made sure that my brother and I saw the beauty of all magical creatures. And It's hard not to when you basically grew up surrounded by them."
"That sounds like Newt Scamander alright," Sirius says. "I'm sure he'd be proud of you."
(Y/N) grins at his words. She likes to think that as well.
She takes in Sirius' appearance as he stands in front of her. He looks exhausted and drained from life but he somehow manages to maintain a powerful twinkle in his eyes. After all, he finally got to meet his godson and now he's free from Azkaban. And Buckbeak is free too; (Y/N) is sure that both of them will be in good hands. She only wishes that a certain ginger boy was there with them to bid both of them goodbye.
Unfortunately, Ron was in no condition to go back in time with (Y/N), Harry, and Hermione because of his injured leg, which is still worrying her. It's nothing new, really, she has been constantly worrying over him since their first year at Hogwarts. It has gotten to the point where Ron feels like most of the time he's being scolded by his mother and, while he secretly does appreciate (Y/N)'s concern, he simply does not understand why she feels the need to be so overprotective all the time.
After Harry and Sirius say their goodbyes, Sirius climbs on top of Buckbeak and takes one last look at all three teenagers. "I'll be forever grateful for this. To all of you."
"We'll see each other again, right?" Harry asks with a hopeful tone.
Sirius smiles softly. "I would love nothing more than that. One day, perhaps. But not like this."
And then he flies away as they wave at him.
Hermione gives Harry a few moments to take it all in before she says, "We should head back now."
Harry and (Y/N) nod in agreement as the three of them run off to make their way back to the Hospital Wing.
***
When they make it to the front doors, Dumbledore is coming out of the room at the same time they arrive. He looks down at them. "Well?"
"He's free," Harry answers. "We did it."
"Did what?" Dumbledore says. Before they can respond, he gives them a knowing look while he walks away. "Goodnight!"
Once he's out of sight, the three of them smile at each other before opening the doors to find Ron lying on the same spot they had left him. (Y/N) sighs in relief at the sight. "How'd you three get over there?" He questions, his eyes wide in panic. "I was just talking to you... over there."
"It's... a little hard to explain." Is Hermione's answer while she and Harry look at each other in amusement.
(Y/N) does not say anything but runs to the injured boy, wrapping her arms around his neck. They had only gone back a couple of hours but she missed him like they hadn't seen each other in months. "Hey," Ron mumbles against her hair while slowly wrapping his arm around her waist.
"How have you been feeling? Does it still hurt?" (Y/N) pulls away and checks his leg. She is careful not to make any sudden movement that could cause him any more pain.
"I'm fine," he rolls his eyes at her.
"She's been worried this whole time, cut her some slack, Ron," Harry says.
Ron sighs. "Honestly, (Y/N), sometimes you're a bit too much."
(Y/N) blinks at him. She slowly stands up from her place on the small bed. "Am I not allowed to worry over you?"
"Yes, but you treat me like I'm a bloody baby," he says, his voice a bit louder. "I don't need you to protect me from every single thing, I can handle myself."
(Y/N) feels how her whole body suddenly begins to grow hot from her rising anger. "Says the guy who almost got his leg broken."
"Guys-"
"How was I supposed to know that Sirius would drag me into the Whomping Willow?" Ron protests, completely ignoring Hermione's voice. "My point is that you can't go a single day without obsessing over my well-being and It's getting tiring."
"Well, excuse me for caring about you, Ronald," (Y/N) is almost shouting. Luckily, there is no one in the room but the four of them. "Excuse me for wanting for you to be okay. I didn't ask to have feelings for you, you know!"
The silence is almost unbearable after (Y/N)'s little outburst; all of them are shocked, including herself. Ron is gaping at her with the widest eyes, and she seems to mimic his expression while unable to look away from him. She hears Hermione clearing her throat in the background. "Harry, we should-"
"Yeah," Harry says quickly, and in a matter of seconds (Y/N) hears the doors closing behind them.
Neither of them says anything at first, both too stunned to speak. It feels like an eternity as they wait for the other to make the first move. Ron thinks that (Y/N) will finally say something when he hears her making a small sound, but it sounds like she just wants to speak up and the words are caught in her throat. "You have feelings for... me?" he manages to let out.
(Y/N) fiddles with her fingers before she groans. "Let's just pretend I didn't say anything, okay?"
There's silence again but this time it doesn't seem to last too long. However, (Y/N) drops her gaze because she cannot bear to keep looking at him. She feels her cheeks burning so bad that she thinks they'll melt away at any second. "I'm sorry," Ron is the first one to speak, again. His voice is low this time. "I shouldn't have talked to you that way."
"It's fine," (Y/N) says. "You were right, I was being a bit too much. And It's not like I think that you can't defend yourself, It's just that... I don't know..."
"No, you didn't do anything wrong," Ron reassures her. "I-I appreciate that you care about me, but-"
(Y/N) looks up again to see that he's awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. "But what?"
Ron is the one to look away now and she can't help but walk closer to him, sitting back down next to him. She notices that she's not the only one blushing. "When you protect me like that, it... it makes me feel like I can't protect you."
(Y/N) stares at him blankly because her brain does not seem to process what he just said instantly. She actually thinks that she might've misheard him, surely it had to be that! "Why would you-"
"Becauseihavefeelingsforyoutoo."
"What?"
"Nothing!" Ron shakes his head furiously. "I didn't say anything!"
But (Y/N) can't keep being in denial; she heard him clearly this time, despite his rushed words. And, by the way that he became so flustered so quickly, she knows that his words aren't meaningless. And that's enough for her.
Her lips break into a huge grin, so much that her cheeks hurt but the pain does not affect her. She cannot help herself when she leans in and places a quick kiss on his cheek. Ron's eyes almost pop out and his heart beats faster the more he realizes what she had just done. His hand reaches up to touch the stinging spot where her lips had come and gone just a moment ago, as if he's making sure that he didn't just imagine it happening. "What was that?"
(Y/N) giggles. "I kissed your cheek."
Hearing it out loud makes Ron's crimson color deepen. "Well, d-don't do it again!"
Rolling her eyes, (Y/N) scoots closer. "Fine."
Instead, she wraps her arms around his waist and rests her head against his chest. "(Y/N)!"
"What?" she does not move. "You didn't say I couldn't hug you."
She snuggles into him while sighing contentedly and Ron is paralyzed. When he begins to relax, though, he smiles to himself. He surprisingly does not mind this type of affection coming from her.