If You Love Her (Ron Weasley)

Twenty-Six

'Taking the leap' felt far more difficult in reality than it had sounded when it had come out of Hermione's mouth a whole two weeks before. 

When she had encouraged me to 'take the leap', I had felt confident, self-assured, positive, even. And then I saw him. It was as if looking into those stupid, searching brown eyes made every ounce of self-esteem I had shrivel up and die, and whenever I considered making any kind of move, suddenly 'taking the leap' off the top of the astronomy tower seemed like the far kinder option. 

The trouble was, it was impacting my entire life, and not in a good way. I could hardly sleep, or eat, and studying for the OWLs was the very last thing on my mind. The only thing in my life that was currently in a strong position, was my friendship with Hermione, which seemed to grow and strengthen every day.

"Has anyone ever told you, you're a gigantic chicken?" She had said to me, as we wandered aimlessly towards the Room of Requirement for a DA meeting, the butterflies in my tummy swirling as they inched ever closer to having to spend yet more time in relatively close proximity to Ron Weasley. 

"That's just rude, actually," I shook my head, and she rolled her eyes. 

"You know what I mean, Aoife! You two could have bumped uglies weeks ago if you'd just ask him out! You know he'll say yes," I felt my cheeks flush bright red at the concept of Ron and I 'bumping uglies', and wanted to die on the spot.

"I will not be bumping uglies with anyone, thank you very much!" I whispered angrily, looking around frantically in case anybody within our vicinity overheard. "And besides, I do not know he'll say yes, in my nightmares he laughs in my face and runs round the Great Hall taking the piss out of me with everyone who would possibly want to listen," 

"Oh my God, is that why you shot out of bed this morning in such a hurry?! I thought you were going to vomit," Hermione laughed. 

"Kind of you to come and help hold my hair back, Mione," I rolled my eyes once more. 

"Back to the topic! Of course he'll say yes, he is smitten," She reiterated. 

"I will not be asking anybody out on a date, Hermione, I am a lady, I deserve to be swept off my feet. I shouldn't have to beg him for a bit of attention," Hermione scoffed at this. 

"It is 1996! Of course a woman can ask a man out on a date!" 

"Of course, a woman can ask a man out, I never said she couldn't! But this woman is not going to plead with a man!" I said, my voice high pitched due to how exasperated I was getting. "I have a bit of pride! Besides, I'm Irish,"

"What does you being Irish have to do with any of this?" Hermione asked, furrowing her brow. 

"Nothing, really, I just feel like he should appreciate that more. I'm badass," 

"Badass you are, but still a chicken nonetheless," Hermione shrugged. "A badass chicken,"

"I am actually going to take that as a compliment, so thank you," 

We had arrived to the Room of Requirement by this point, and the pair of us snook into the room, confident we hadn't been seen. I tried to avoid anyone's eye, worried it might be Ron, and I just really wanted this one lesson to be about me, where I wasn't distracted by how attractive he looked with the sleeves of his jumper rolled up to his elbows, or the way he bit his lip when he was concentrating on learning the motion for a new spell. 

For fucks sake, too late, I'm already distracted. 

Besides, I was getting more nervous whenever I was in his presence, and I despised it. I swear, before my fifth year, I was a very reassured, confident woman who did not let any boy make me feel nervous. The Ron Weasley effect, I guess.