After The End.

Ron Weasley clutched his pint glass, trying desperately to feel as light-hearted and happy as everyone else around the table. Sadly, Ron couldn't capture the same enthusiasm as the others, and deep down he knew he never would. In all honesty, he didn't want to be sitting in The Golden Peacock, sharing drinks with people he wished weren't a part of his life.

When Ron had first returned home, he'd had such high hopes of building himself a new life among his friends and family. But then revelations at Danny's birthday party had changed everything. As odd as it had been, he had accepted Seamus as the father of Ginny's son, and now they were a proper couple, he was even genuinely happy for them as they awaited the birth of their second child. However, it was a different story with Hermione and Harry.

Even a year after finding out who Hermione was married to, Ron still struggled with the idea of his former girlfriend being a Malfoy. It still tore his heart to shreds whenever he saw Hermione with her husband, but worse of all was the fact that Ron knew he only had himself to blame for the predicament. He may have disliked Malfoy, but even he had to admit that the blond had been right when he'd told him what an idiot he'd been to let Hermione go. Even so, it stung to know that Malfoy had been the one to benefit from his stupidity.

As for Harry, Ron felt as though the friend he'd known since starting Hogwarts had gone. Annoyingly, but at the same time understandably, Harry had made it clear that his loyalty was with Hermione and if Ron wanted back into his life, he would have to accept the Slytherins. And Ron had tried to do that, even if he knew he could never be friends with them, he had tried to accept they were a part of his life. But even then, there was a distance between him and Harry, and Ron didn't know how to bridge it.

As laughter broke into Ron's thoughts, he glanced across the table to the two people he most blamed for his feeling of no longer belonging – Malfoy and Zabini. He blamed Malfoy for stealing Hermione's heart, and being more supportive of her than he'd ever been. Ginny had been more than forthcoming about the ways Draco had supported Hermione, and her independence, while pointing out how much Ron had let his former girlfriend down. And of course he blamed Malfoy for the Slytherins in their lives, as if he hadn't wormed his way into Hermione's affections then there was no way Harry would be friends with someone like Zabini.

As for Zabini, Ron blamed him for taking his role in Harry's life. Even though Ron was now back, he knew he no longer occupied the coveted place as Harry's best friend. After Hermione, his closest friend was clearly Zabini. Even when Ron did manage to get some time alone with Harry, without the annoying Slytherin butting in, most of Harry's stories revolved around the Slytherin in some way. Quite honestly he was sick and tired of hearing about the exploits Harry had gotten up to in the company of Blaise sodding Zabini.

Looking around at the wizards he was drinking with, all in an effort to keep his friendship with Harry intact, Ron wondered if the situation was sustainable. It shouldn't be such hard work to accept the role of the Slytherins in the lives of those closest to him, but it was. Every day was an effort not to mess up and say what he was truly thinking. Every day was spent minding his manners and not screaming at the injustice of the Slytherins encroaching on his friends and family. Every day was tiring, and Ron was getting sick of it.

Knocking back the rest of his pint, Ron muttered an excuse about needing the bathroom and headed towards the back of the pub. However, instead of heading into the bathroom, he slipped out the back door into the beer garden. Even the choice of pub they were drinking in was getting him down as even though he wasn't present, Ron couldn't forget the fact that Lucius Malfoy owned the place.

"Sodding Malfoys, taking over everything," he muttered to himself as he kicked at a loose bit of gravel.

Slumping down on the wall that ringed the picturesque beer garden, Ron began to seriously wonder about packing it all in and returning to Canada. It hadn't been what he'd wanted to do, but then again, he hadn't wanted to return home to find his ex-girlfriend married to their arch enemy. Nor had he expected life back home to have changed so much, or need as much effort. Of course Molly would be devastated if he went again, but it wouldn't be like before and he wouldn't be running away. If he did leave, he would do so properly, with proper goodbyes and he would keep in touch with his family.

Half on the verge of heading home to see if he could get in touch with his former boss and return to his old job, Ron heard someone exiting the pub. Assuming it was a customer coming out to enjoy the beer garden, he paid them no heed until he felt a presence standing beside him. When he glanced up, he audibly groaned at the sight of Draco Malfoy.

"Believe me, Weasel, I feel the same way," Draco snorted, sitting down on the wall a decent distance from the red-head. "I pulled the short straw and came to find you."

"Well you've found me, so you can sod off," Ron retorted. He tolerated Draco in front of anyone else, but on their own, he wasn't going to put on a pretence.

"That would suit me, but Potter would only ask why I didn't bring you back inside," Draco replied.

"I don't want to go back inside," Ron muttered.

"You don't want to be here, do you?" Draco asked, even though the answer was blatantly obvious.

"No, I don't," Ron answered honestly. "And you don't have to worry about me for much longer. I think my time at home is coming to an end. I don't belong here any more."

"You're leaving?" Draco questioned in surprise. To be honest he'd expected Ron to run months ago, but as he'd been home a year he figured he was wrong and the red-head was staying put.

"Thinking about it," Ron replied, not sure why he was confiding in Malfoy before speaking to his family. "Although I'm sure you'll be pleased to see the back of me."

"In all honesty, I couldn't care less either way," Draco retorted with a shrug. "Despite what you may think, I don't view you as threat. I don't live in fear that you're going to steal Hermione from me."

"Why not?" Ron asked with a frown. "You know I still have feelings for her. And we have a long past, not just as partners, but as friends. We have history you can't hope to compete with, Malfoy."

"And the key word there is history," Draco replied. "I know you and Hermione have history, and share memories that I will never be part of. But you also tried a relationship which didn't work."

"Due to circumstances," Ron argued. "If she hadn't bought that damn house, we might still be together."

"If it hadn't been the house, it would have been something else," Draco predicted. "The simple fact is Weasley, you and Hermione didn't belong together. You may have loved her, but you weren't able to accept her for who she is."

"And who is that?" Ron snorted.

"A strong, independent woman who doesn't need a man to define her," Draco replied. "She once told me that when you broke up, you accused her of not needing you."

"Which she didn't," Ron interjected.

"The thing is Weasley, she doesn't need anyone. That's not who she is. She doesn't need me, not in the way you expected her to need you. But I know that, and it doesn't bother me."

"Of course it must bother you," Ron snorted dismissively. "You're her husband, she should need you."

"She doesn't need me, she wants me," Draco clarified. "And that is why I'm not threatened by the fact she's got a life outside of our marriage. I'm not threatened by the fact she's got a successful business and a house I have no claim on. I am not threatened by any of that, because at the end of the day, she chose to spend her life with me. I got lucky, Weasley, and unlike you, I won't be throwing that luck away. I will be holding onto it until my dying day."

Ron wanted to snap at the blond and say something nasty, but yet again Draco's words had struck a nerve and he found himself unable to hate him for being able to see what he hadn't. If he'd been smarter, he could have held onto Hermione, and no matter what Draco said, he believed that things would have worked out between them and they would have been happy together. But it was too late for that now, Hermione had moved on and she was happy with someone else. So maybe it was time for him to also move on and try and find his own happy ending.

"I think I'm going to call it a night," Ron said as he got to his feet. "Although I would appreciate it if you didn't mention that I'm thinking about leaving. I don't want to say anything until I'm sure."

"My lips are sealed," Draco replied. "All I would say, is if you are leaving, do it right this time. Don't burn your bridges a second time, as I don't think they will be fixable again."

Once again seeing the wisdom in Draco's words, and being annoyed that the former Slytherin was so wise, Ron headed home to think. In the end he did decide his future lay elsewhere, only this time he didn't run off without a word. He spoke to everyone he cared about personally and promised to keep in touch with the family. Only then did he return to Canada, and this time he allowed himself a chance to move on and develop a proper future for himself, while back home his friends and family continued their lives surrounded by the Slytherins he hadn't been able to live with.

The End.