Ron Weasley had always been Harry Potterās best friend. From the moment they shared that fateful compartment on the Hogwarts Express, Ron had been Harryās first confidant, his roommate. They had survived everything togetherāVoldemortās terror, a war that had nearly broken them. For years, Ron had been by Harryās side.
But this morning, as Ron rubbed the sleep from his eyes and trudged down the familiar, creaky stairs of The Burrow, something settled in his chestāa quiet realization that had been creeping up on him for months.
He wasnāt the Weasley who was closest to Harry anymore.
He could hear quiet murmurs from the kitchen. Ginnyās voice, soft and teasing, floated through the air, mingled with Harryās low chuckle. The sound of it made Ron stop halfway down the stairs, his hand on the banister as he listened, unseen.
They had always been closeāHarry and Ginnyābut back when Ron had been there, they were something else. Harry had been his best mate first. Ginny was justā¦ well, Ginny. Ron had known about Harryās most dangerous secretsāabout the Horcruxes, the prophecy, everything.
But things were different now. Harry and Ginny had found their way back to each other after the war, a reunion that Ron had barely been around for. He had gone to Australia to retrieve Hermione's parents, then become an Auror alongside Harry. Sure, they were still partners at work, but outside of itā¦
He hadnāt been privy to the dozens of letters theyād written each other when Ginny returned to Hogwarts for her final year. He hadnāt been around for their late-night talks or for the dates they snuck during Hogsmeade weekend. Ron had been too busy with Hermione, too wrapped up in his own new chapter.
Ginny was making tea. He watched her pour an absurd amount of sugar into the cup ā too much for any reasonable personr. She walked over to the overstuffed chair by the fire, where Harry was sitting, and handed him the mug with a smile that couldāve lit up the entire room.
Ron stared, frozen on the stairs, as the realization hit him like a Bludger to the chest: that disgusting cup of tea was for Harry, and he obviously loved it.
He finished walking down the stairs, the creak of his footstep breaking the quiet moment between them. Ginny glanced up, her eyes sparkling as she waved him over. āMorning, Ron! Want some tea?ā
Harry smiled at him, that same warm grin that had always been there, but there was something softer in it now, something reserved for when Ginny was around.
āMorning,ā Ron mumbled, forcing a smile as he shuffled into the room. He sat down across from them, watching as Harry leaned into Ginny, their shoulders brushing as they exchanged quiet words.
Ron leaned back in his chair, feeling the warmth of the fire crackling in the hearth, and watched as Ginny playfully nudged Harry with her elbow. They laughed together, Harryās arm slipping around her shoulders with ease.
Things had changed, but maybe that was how it was supposed to be. Harry had found his family, and Ginny had found her place at the center of it.
Ron still had Hermione, and he still had Harry in his life, even if it wasnāt the same. And somehow, in this moment, with the fire crackling and Ginnyās laughter filling the room, Ron realized that it didnāt need to be.
Harry wasnāt just his best mate anymore. He was family.
And Ron could live with that.
