I own nothing.

Reviews always welcome.

Ron stared at the chess board, gauging his next move. He ran his hand through his hair and stared at Harry for a moment, to see if his face gave anything away. It didn't.

It was late and the common room was empty. The candles were dimmed a long time ago, so now most of the light came from the jumping flames in the fireplace. Valentines Day had been two days ago, and Ron was relived that the House-Elves had already taken down all of the frilly pink heart decorations.

Ron sighed before moving his knight to take out Harry's pawn. It was a sacrifice move, but later it allowed him to take Harry's queen.

Over the years, Harry had become increasingly better at chess, even winning once and a while if Ron was particularly distracted. Ron, rather than being disappointed that he had lost, was excited. It meant that he had to work harder, and concentrate more. He had gotten somewhat lax in his playing simply because there was rarely someone who challenged him. Fred and George had the attention spans of goldfish and Ginny got frustrated if she couldn't win, so she would just stop playing. But Harry was patient and a good loser and an even better winner.

Ron loved chess. It was simple. All of the pieces had set movements they could make. Ron was always in control; he knew what had to be done in order to get what he wanted. Recently, Ron found himself playing chess more and more. He had a habit of doing this when things in his life became confusing or muddled.

"Where's Lavender?" asked Harry, staring at the chess board.

"Dunno. Up in bed I suppose."

Harry looked up at him and grinned. "Some boyfriend you are."

"At least girls don't cry while I'm snogging them," Ron shot back, regretting it after a second.

Harry looked shocked for a split second before bursting out into laughter. Ron let out a relieved chuckle. Harry, still smiling, moved his bishop and took Ron's knight.

"Your turn."

"Harry." Ron said, cautiously. "You don't really think I'm doing anything wrong do you?"

Harry sobered quickly. "I dunno mate."

"I mean, I...I didn't think that Lavender would be so...so..."

"Affectionate?" Harry suggested, though both of them knew that clingy was more appropriate.

"Yeah," said Ron "And I didn't think that –"

Just at that moment, there was the unmistakable sound of the portrait hole sliding open. Both boys turned their attention to the girl with bushy, brown hair who had just walked into the common room.

"Oh!" she said, noticing the two of them. "I didn't think anyone would still be awake."

"Yeah, we were ju-" Ron started, but Hermione cut him off.

"Well I'm off to bed. Goodnight Harry." She said, offhandedly, as if she hadn't seen or noticed Ron at all and started up the girl's staircase.

"Night," said Harry, slightly uncomfortably, right before they heard Hermione's door close.

Harry cast a glance at Ron, who was looking disappointed and upset.

"Sorry, mate."

"Does she ever talk about me?" Ron asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Er..." said Harry.

"Right," said Ron, assuming the worst. If she doesn't talk to you, why would she talk about you? Ron looked down at the chessboard and suddenly he didn't feel much like playing.

"I'm exhausted. Do you mind if we don't finish?"

Harry shrugged. "You were going to win anyway."

Ron gave a weak smile and gathered up the pieces and board and put them all in their pouch, despite the many arguments from the pieces themselves that the game must be finished. The boys climbed wearily up the staircase to their room.

"I can't believe we still have to write that essay for Snape this weekend," said Ron, grumpily.

"What? Oh er... right." Harry looked shamefaced.

"What?" asked Ron, stopping on the stairs to look at his best friend.

"I...er...I already got it done."

"When?" But Ron already knew the answer. Harry had been spending a lot of time in the library with Hermione, she probably nagged him into doing it early.

"Valentines Day," said Harry apologetically. "Since I had nothing better to do... I thought I'd just..."

"Right," said Ron, even more disgruntled. Now he had to do the essay by himself. He pushed open the door to their room.

All of the others were already asleep. The boys changed into their pajamas in silence.

"'Night," muttered Ron, climbing into his four poster and drawing the curtains. He didn't hear if Harry said anything in response.

Flat on his back in his bed, Ron allowed himself to feel all of the emotions that he had been holding back throughout the day. Ron had always considered his bed to be a kind of sanctuary. In his bed, completely alone, he didn't feel wrong thinking about a girl who was supposed to be his best friend in a very different sort of way. He didn't feel wrong being slightly perturbed at Harry for all of his various successes. And he didn't feel wrong thinking about his girlfriend with utter disgust.

Valentines Day had been awful. Lavender insisted that they go to Madam Puddifoot's tea shop. Ron nearly choked with the amount of perfume in the air. Everything in that place was a sickening shade of purple and pink and red. Hearts everywhere, bows everywhere, it looked as though Valentines Day had thrown up all over the room. All of the other couples there were staring into each other's eyes and snogging. It was awful. And Lavender expected him to like it. He couldn't believe it. It was safe to say that Harry had a better time writing Snape's essay.

At least he hadn't run into Ginny, who, it seemed, was set on taking the mickey out of him for being with Lavender. However, he doubted that Ginny, despite her passion for Arnold, the pigmy puff, would ever set foot in a place so incredibly girly. He smiled as he pictured Ginny knocking a tea tray right out of Madam Puddifoot's hands. He would never admit it, but he admired his little sister for her level-headedness. She and Hermione weren't the girly sort in the least.

Well... Ron knew that Ginny wasn't that girly. But he wondered about Hermione. She didn't wear any makeup or do anything with her hair, but he wondered if she really did like frilly things and bows. He had never, in all the time he had known her, been in her room. He had gotten very curious about her room last year and had even tried to see it before the staircase to the girl's dormitories turned into a giant stone slide. He had never been to her house, though she'd been to his plenty of times, the closest he'd come to seeing a space of Hermione's was when she roomed with Ginny at the Burrow, and that hardly counted.

He tried to imagine Hermione in a pink room with frills on the bedspread, but he couldn't quite manage it. Her room was probably wall to wall bookcases and a big, comfy armchair for reading.

He sighed. He missed Hermione. He missed all of the silly little things he never thought twice about when they were friends. He missed the way that she absentmindedly bounced her quill up and down on her thumb if she was thinking hard over an essay. He missed watching her butter her toast at breakfast so that it was completely even. He missed her enthusiasm for Quidditch even though she knew nothing about it. He missed the staccato way she answered questions in class. He missed her voice. Sometimes the only reason he paid attention in class was so that he could listen to her voice and pretend, just for a little while, that she was talking to him. He had been trying to speak with her ever since Christmas, but it was no use. She was as stubborn as ever and things didn't look as though they were going to clear up anytime soon.

He never thought things with Lavender would last this long, he thought she would just give him up as soon as she was done with him. No such luck. Especially not after Valentines Day when she told him, that she "wuved" him.

Ron cringed in the darkness. He had simply gaped at Lavender before muttering "Yeah...um... oh look are those scones?"

She had given him a handmade Valentine. It was a pink heart edged with lace that had Won-Won written on the front in gold, loopy letters. So much purple glitter erupted when Ron had opened it that he was temporarily blinded. When the glitter cloud had finally settled (mostly on Ron's jumper and hair) Ron could see a picture of him and Lavender snogging. In the same loopy gold letters, the card proclaimed "Me and My Wuv."

Ron had gotten Lavender a set of hair barrettes with pink flowers on them.

Ron yawned. He was getting tired. He settled into the bed with a sigh, wondering idly what Lavender might get him for his birthday and if Hermione would have acknowledged his existence by then before drifting off into sleep.