Two years later, Ron still did not really understand. But he had accepted that he did not understand a lot of things. For example the matter at hand. "Why would you want to go back to school?!"

Hermione had just given them the news that she wanted to repeat the seventh year after they had spent the last year apparating around Great Britain searching for Horcruxes and destroying Voldemort. For the first time in a year, the trio had time to have a quiet, relaxing time, drinking Butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks, and Hermione was talking about going back to writing essays and attending boring lessons. Ron was quite happy to avoid having to do the NEWTs.

"We can all do the Auror training right away." Ron exclaimed. His girlfriend rolled her eyes like she had expected that reaction exactly. Which she probably had. She was smart.

"I don't want to be an Auror." Hermione took a zip of her Butterbeer. Ron fondly watched as she wiped away the foam from her upper lip with her fingers. She had pretty fingers. Everything about her was pretty.

"You don't have to be." Ron said. "The ministry would take you anywhere." It went unspoken that it was not only because of her more than average school performance, but more so because they were perceived as war heroes. It was still a sensitive topic.

"I still don't know what I want to do." Hermione argued. "There are so many interesting fields to go into. Especially the things outside the ministry. To keep my options open, I need to have a school-leaving qualification."

"I can't believe you would go back to school voluntarily." Ron shook his head, partly disbelieving, but mostly fondly.

"I can't believe my boyfriend still won't sit with me." Harry commented. Ron looked from his best friend to Malfoy. He didn't think he would ever get used to Harry calling that git his boyfriend, or by his first name.

Malfoy and Harry had dated in secret for the past two years. It did not always go smoothly, but that was to be expected with to hot headed guys who had been brought up so differently. Yet, Ron had watched Malfoy getting Harry better than anyone else did. He had been there for Harry when Sirius died, when Harry had to get information out of Slughorn, when Dumbledore had been killed by Snape, when they had to go hunt for Horcruxes... He was there the whole time Harry got weighted down by the pressure of being the Chosen One, obligated to be the one to save the whole wizarding world. Malfoy seemed to always know what Harry needed to hear or how he needed to be treated.

The only time they had spent apart was when they were caught by snatchers. Malfoy had been able to escape before they were taken to the Malfoy Manor. After Dobby had disapparated them, there was no easy way for the trio to find Harry's boyfriend. And Malfoy had no idea where they had disapparated to. Harry had been devastated by the death of Dobby and also by the loss of their fourth companion. Ron had also been worried about what Malfoy might be doing on his own. Not that he thought he was not capable of taking care of himself, but Malfoy and Harry had a passion for each other that made them do crazy things. Also, Ron knew what being alone in this world at that time felt like, not being able to trust anyone and hiding from snatchers and always being worried something would happen to your loved ones...

They had found Malfoy again at the battle of Hogwarts. That was only a few weeks ago and Ron could tell that Malfoy was still mad at Harry for just walking into the woods and letting Voldemort kill him without telling his boyfriend first. Silently, Ron agreed that Harry had acted right because Malfoy would have killed Harry first for even suggesting such a thing.

Ron was sure that one day there would be a big fight between the two about that, but right now Malfoy was sensitive enough to keep his anger to himself. It was more important to be there for Harry because even though he saved everyone and Voldemort was gone, he still carried a huge weight around him called guilt. Ron knew Harry was blaming himself for all the deaths and thought he should have died himself. That it was not fair that he had survived while all those people had to die.

Hermione, Ron and Malfoy did their best to stir him away from these kind of thoughts but it was hard. Looking around the pub, Ron saw the weight of loss in lots of faces. People tried to move on, live their life, but many people had lost loved ones and even seen some die with their own eyes. The building of Hogwarts was restored, but it would take a long time before everything would go back to normal. Probably not in their lifetime.

Ron looked over at Malfoy again. He was sitting a few tables away from the trio with Parkinson and talked, about what, Ron had no idea. But Harry was right. Lucius Malfoy, the biggest reason for Harry and Draco Malfoy to date in secret, was in Azkaban now. Draco could hang out with Harry in public now.

Malfoy turned his head and looked over. He lifted his eyebrow questioningly with a hint of smug amusement on his face. Ron realized that he was staring at him. He quickly looked at Harry, then back at Malfoy. Well, this was an awkward situation. Ron just shrugged, lifted his butterbeer and toasted it to Malfoy, then concentrated on drinking it.

"That Weasley is a bit strange." Pansy commented a few tables away.

Draco shrugged. "He's alright." He looked away and took a sip of his butterbeer. Putting down the glass he acted thoughtful. "But I think I have been too nice to them. Now Weasley is falling in love with me too."

Pansy boxed her best friend. "Of course he his. With so much modesty, how could he possibly resist."

Draco laughed and held assaulted arm. After the battle, it took a while for Draco to laugh again. Not only was he worried about Harry, but he was also feeling guilty for the side his family was on and the part the Malfoys had in the dying of many people. Pansy was glad Draco was getting better.

She looked over at the golden trio. They helped Draco a lot. Even if Weasley did not realize it, his easygoing slightly oblivious way of dealing with the war, especially the loss of his brother, was helping Draco a lot. Not that Ron was not sometimes downcast and dismissive of everyone, it was just that he did not hold a grudge against anyone. And he loved to complain about everything and anything except for the matters that really bothered people. He was a kind of distracting personality, that Weasley. And then there was Granger, who seemed to know everything. And not just what she read in books every waking minute, but she was also sensitive towards what others were thinking and feeling, almost all the time.

And of course, there was Potter. Draco had been pining over him since the first year at Hogwarts. It had started out with a dislike, constant complaining that Potter had rejected him right in the beginning. Draco was not used to being rejected. Over time, Draco still disliked Harry, loved to ridicule him, but in every complaint resonated a longing. Something Draco did not understand until he kissed Blaise for a dare and realized that there was something thrilling about kissing a boy, something Pansy could have never given him. In fact, Pansy had it figured out before Draco himself did.

Coming back to reality, Pansy realized that Potter was staring at them. Well, not at them. Pansy turned her head to see Draco staring right back, a suggestive smirk on his lips. Pansy looked back at Potter, who had a slight blush on his face, but was not backing down, instead tilting his head with a similarly suggestive smile. Pansy looked back and forth between them and scrunched up her nose. "Could you please stop eye fucking? It's grossing me out and turning me on at the same time."

Draco's gaze snapped to her, looking appalled that something him and Potter were doing would affect her in such a way. Pansy crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. She loved messing with Draco. Although she had to admit that she had not been lying. But Draco did not need to know that. He rolled his eyes, thinking that she had just said that to startle him.

"Have you ever thought what might have happened if Weasley had not overheard us that day?" Pansy said.

Draco looked at her in surprise, then his features grew thoughtful and his eyes got that far away look. "Probably nothing." He blinked a few times, focusing his vision again, then looked down at his butterbeer glass between his hands. The glass was almost empty, just like Pansy's. She took another sip. "I would have stayed on the Dark Lord's side until I was old enough to marry a pureblood woman and live the same life my father had. Except for the Dark Lord part. Harry would have defeated him, with or without me."

"You're being too hard on yourself." Pansy said. "You would have known about you sexuality and you also have a sense for good and evil, with or without Potter. You could have changed sides anyway."

Draco shook his head. "I care too much what my father thinks. If it was not for Harry, I wouldn't have had the courage to go against him and what he has taught me."

Pansy watched him. Draco picked up his glass and watched the remnants of the brown liquid moved with his circular motions before draining the glass. "I don't think so. Either way," Pansy said. "Let's be glad you complained so loud about Potter's perfect hair."

Pansy laughed as Draco glared at her. She hoped him and Potter would get their happy ending.

Spoiler alert, they would.