Ron Weasley watched Harry Potter from a very long distance. He still didn't forgive his old friend, nor had his friend forgiven him. Yet they had settled into an unsaid peace. He stayed away from Potter and Potter stayed away from him.
Ron had started to attend therapy to deal with the trauma of losing his sister and her prolonged coma. His therapist had made Ron realize some things about himself. About his anger and jealousy, about why he lashes out at people and distrusts so many people in his life. Ron wouldn't admit it to anyone but he actually sort of missed Harry.
Ron's eyes turned back to his breakfast.
It's not that he wasn't still mad at Harry, because he was.
And it wasn't that he didn't still think Harry was psychotic, because Ron definitely believed that.
But even still, the last few months had been rather boring and lonely without Harry around.
Ron chewed on the inside of his cheek and poked his eggs with a fork.
Perhaps something had turned him crazy, Ron thought to himself, because he wasn't like that before.
Ron turned and looked once more at his old friend. Harry's shoulders had widened slightly and he'd grown a few inches since the beginning of the year. Ron frowned and studied Harry for the first time in months. Harry's hair was curlier too, but less messy. He had a pimple on his chin too. Ron squinted his eyes slightly. Was that stubble on Harry's chin?
"Hermione," Ron said suddenly.
"Yes?" Hermione answered, not looking up from her book.
"Does Harry look different to you?"
"What?" Hermione turned to look at the black haired boy "no not really."
"No no something is definitely different," Ron said softly.
"Maybe he's going through a growth spurt," Hermione shrugged turning back to her book.
"No," Ron said with a frown "well, it's almost like...."
"Almost like what Ronald?"
"Well, and this is absolutely crazy but- it's almost like he's growing at three times the speed we are,"
Hermione turned quickly in her seat to stare at Harry who somehow hadn't noticed yet.
"Look at the second year Hufflepuffs," Ron said
"Yeah," Hermione responded still not convinced.
"Now look at Harry."
Hermione locked onto Harry and watched as he hunched over to look shorter compared to the others.
"Oh my god,"
"Yeah he looks like-"
"A fourth year!" Hermione finished.
