Prologue

"Could I get a little help over here?" Neville asked.

 

Hermione Granger snapped back to reality and nodded, walking over to Neville and helping him lift a body from the ground. Hermione hadn't recognized who it was when she first sighted him, but now, she clearly knew who this person was.

 

Hermione bit her lip and blinked back some tears. How could they? she thought deplorably. She couldn't believe that there were still hundreds of bodies in Hogwarts. The battle had been won, but precious and beloved friends and family had been lost. She stared back again at Colin Creevey's unblinking eyes. She already knew his life had been lost, but it was just not fair.

 

"Neville?" said a low misty, dreamy voice from the door. "Your grandmother's arrived."

 

Hermione drew away her tears with her sleeve and looked at Luna. She had several bruises and cuts in her face and arms, but other than that, she looked perfectly healthy.

 

"Right." Neville mumbled as together they set Colin tenderly in a warm corner of the Great Hall. Neville looked up at Hermione, smiled slightly and left with Luna.

 

"See you." Hermione muttered as they walked away from the Great Hall, hand in hand. She was too sad to do anything productive, so she decided to take a nap back at the dormitory.

 

As she reached the empty portrait of the Fat Lady and groaned, a strong, firm hand took a hold of her arm. Hermione's eyes jumped out of their sockets and she brusquely turned around, wand raised, at the sudden movement. She was about to hex him, but as soon as she looked at his face, she changed her mind.

 

"Not going to hex me, aren't you?" he chuckled unhappily.

 

Hermione lowered her wand and smiled compassionately.

 

"I wouldn't dare."

 

"Good."

 

Ron took a hold of her hand and sighed.

 

"Ron?"

 

"Yes?"

 

Hermione hesitated, not wanting to make this more difficult than it already was, but decided to speak nevertheless.

 

"How's... How's George?" she said in a voice barely more than a whisper. She felt Ron's hand stiffen in hers and heard him gulp.

 

"I-"

 

"Bloody hell!" Ginny Weasley exclaimed as she jumped up the stairs. "There you are! I've been looking all over the place for you two." she scolded them.

 

"Ginny!" Ron said as he rolled his eyes, pecked Hermione on the cheek and stepped to the side so Ginny could embrace both of them in a tight hug. After a few seconds, Ginny took a step back and glared at them.

 

"This is no time for snogging."

 

Ron's ears turned beet red.

 

"We weren't snogging!" he yelled. "We were just-"

 

"Yeah, yeah." Ginny interrupted with a wave of her hand. "Have either of you two seen Cho?"

 

Ron and Hermione looked at each other, perturbed.

 

"Cho? Did something happen to her?" Hermione asked. Ginny did not particularly like Cho, so the sharp tone in her voice only meant something was wrong.

 

"No... I think." she answered quietly. "Her parents and siblings arrived a few minutes ago. They're mad, I tell you. They all wore Tornadoes badges. Sick..."

 

Hermione frowned at Ginny. Honestly, that wasn't really important right now.

 

"What do you mean 'I think'?"

 

"Oh!" Ginny squeaked. "I've forgotten!" she smiled apologetically and ran back down the stairs. Ron chuckled and pulled Hermione by the hand to the Fat Lady's empty portrait, flicking his wand to open the portrait, and into the Gryffindor Common Room. He sat her down in an arm chair near the fire and sighed, pacing in front of her.

 

"Fred's funeral will be on Thursday." he started slowly. "So that means we still have a few days left to help here and spend some time alone." he looked at her eyes for a second and the corners of his mouth twitched.

 

"Honestly, Ron. Don't be giving yourself any ideas," Hermione said flushing.

 

Ron stopped pacing and smirked.

 

"You kissed me." he laughed softly.

 

"As a matter of fact, I did." she said hotly. "And that won't be happening again any time soon, seeing as it's rather amusing to you-"

 

He put a finger to her lips and chuckled.

 

"Anyways, we'll help and spend some time together." he continued, ignoring her frown. "And after Fred's funeral you'll go back to Australia... And that's that. Isn't it?" he finished wistfully.

 

Hermione feeling entirely confused, merely nodded.

 

"And I'll leave for three months, but you'll be all right... Won't you?" he said, not daring to meet her eyes.

 

Hermione didn't even know what happened, because in that moment, Ron was holding her in his arms, stroking her hair and murmuring that everything would be all right. That he'd send an owl twice every day telling her about his day. Hermione couldn't help but cry her eyes out, splashing tears all over his jumper. After a few minutes (or hours), Hermione looked up in his eyes, a fresh wave of anger filling her completely.

 

"Why are you leaving?" she asked abruptly.

 

Ron took a deep breath and held her right hand between both of his.

 

"George isn't-" he took another deep breath and closed his eyes. "-when he saw Fred's corpse-" Ron was now squishing Hermione's hand with heartbreaking sadness. He looked into her eyes, and something in them inspired him to continue speaking bravely. "George is the saddest one of us all. He asked me to come run the shop with him for a while, since he has to reopen the joke shop. And I agreed. I'll probably only leave for three months, but it will probably be less time." he kept saying. "I really don't know if George will want to open the shop in the same place or if he'll want to relocate. The point is he needs me and-"

 

Hermione stood up, kissed his lips with sudden fierceness, and with one piercing look at his deep blue eyes, she said:

 

"I understand, and even if I don't want you to leave, I know you will, and you must." she whispered.

 

Ron stood up to and hugged her adoringly.

 

"Thank you, Hermione." he said squeezing her. He looked back at her, keeping his arms around her waist, and looked her directly in her eyes, a sudden passion flaming in his.

 

"I love you."

 

Hermione's eyes were now filled with tears as his lips softly pressed onto hers again.

 

"I love you too, Ron." she whispered, burying her face into his neck.

 

And even if he left for a decade, even if he left for a century, she knew her love for him would never die. This redheaded man was going to remain in her heart forever.

 

***

Hermione Granger flinched as the front wooden door sharply closed.

"Hi."

Hermione turned around to face him. He was wearing the saddest, most heartbroken expression she had ever seen him in. It was even more heartbroken than that time in fifth year when he had seen her all weak and crumpled after Antonin Dolohov's purple curse.

"Hello." she answered back as she stood up from the moth-eaten love-seat. She slowly made her way to him and managed a weak smile. He looked down at the floor, unable to smile back at her, and frowned slightly.

 

"I've got to help..." he barely whispered, his fingers twitched, and Hermione immediately put her hand firmly in his.

 

"Ron, listen to me-"

 

Ron's head snapped back to her. His blue eyes pierced her brown eyes, and for the first time, she truly acknowledged how much Ron was mourning. The usual sparkle in his deep blue eyes was long gone. Merlin, his blue eyes weren't deep anymore. All Hermione could see as she stared into his eyes was grief and exhaustion. The purple bruises under them somehow made him look much older and tired. He blinked twice, as if the sound of his name on her lips were foreign to him, and raised a hand, silently pleading for her not to talk about that right now.

 

 

She stubbornly took his hand again. Ron sighed, but didn't hesitate as Hermione raised their entwined hands and placed them over his heart.

 

"Ron," she repeated much more firmly. "look, I know you don't want to talk about this. And... I-I know it's hard for you. Really. I do. I see how much all of you miss him. I can see it your eyes. Ron, look at me." Hermione ordered, as he had looked down at his shoes. She took a deep, steadying breath and continued. "I know how much you grieve, and I can feel how much it hurts you, and George-" Ron flinched involuntary."-and Ginny, and Bill, Charlie, Percy... Not to mention your parents and I..." Hermione's eyes started burning, but she firmly shook her head and blinked to force the unwanted tears back into her eyes. "Ron... What I'm trying to say is, you can't keep hiding your feelings and attempting to escape reality. I truly worry and it hurts to see you like this. And sometimes I thought you'd never come b-back! And I know the war is over, but there is just this feeling lingering in the air, you know? I always worry you're not coming back, I-I-I..." The tears were now falling like a waterfall on her cheeks. "You're just so sad all the time! And then you leave me! The first morning I found out you'd left, I thought you h-had g-g-gone a-away f-forev-ver like, like l-last t-t-time!" Ron looked like he would willingly throw himself from the top of the Astronomy Tower at the sight of her tears. "But that's hardly the point!" Hermione continued blubbering. "The point is you don't even let me help you! You won't! Do you think I-? That I would-?" She flung her arms around his neck and cried into his shoulder. He automatically put his arms around her waist and hugged her closer, burying his face into the top of her head. He inhaled the scent of her hair, hoping it would relax him so he could speak.

 

"It's ok, love. It's going to be all right..." Ron continuously whispered while rocking her from side to side.

 

They could've stayed like that for hours, days, months, and neither of them would've noticed, for they were finally seeing each other again. Holding on to each other for dear life. Hermione closed her eyes and breathed his scent in.

 

"Are you all right, love?" Ron asked after a while. He shook his head at his stupidity and chuckled dryly. "That's a stupid question. You're obviously not all right." He cupped her face with his hand and gently wiped away the rest of the tears with his thumb. She smiled slightly at him and sniffed.

 

"Bloody hell, Hermione. I hate it when you cry." He leaned down and kissed her forehead tenderly. "Come on, lets sit down."

 

Keeping an arm around her, he walked them to the kitchen and sat her down on a stool. He sat opposite her, never releasing the hold on her hand. He looked at her, worry plain in his face, but there was something more, he was watching her as if she were some kind of sick pet who he would give all to so she could recover.

 

"Should I get us some tea?" Ron asked, breaking the not so uncomfortable silence. Hermione tilted her head towards their entwined hands, not wanting to let go, but nodded nevertheless.

 

"Thank you." she mumbled. Ron gave her a lopsided smile that made her melt in her seat, and a couple minutes later, set two mugs full of tea on the table. She took hers and gulped some tea down and set the mug back on the table. She looked back at Ron, who appeared to have been staring at her, and he smiled shyly and looked at the table. But not before returning his hand firmly back into hers.

 

"I'm sorry. I know it's not enough, but I truly feel that way." He said unexpectedly. Hermione turned her head slowly toward him and met his eyes. Yes, he was truly sorry.

 

"I just miss him, you know?" He whispered. "All of us do."

 

He took a careful sip of his tea, curiously looking at the skin in Hermione's finger. He started tracing the top part of her hand with his index finger in slow motion. She had to admit, even if she was extremely disappointed, that definitely made her feel wonderfully better.

 

 

Hermione nodded stiffly and she too took a sip of her tea.

 

"It's like George is waiting for him to reappear... He keeps saying half of a joke and smiles in anticipation for-" Ron gulped. "-Fred," Hermione sniffed. "To finish a joke." The hold on her hand tightened, she looked up to his face and saw a single tear running down his face and splashing on the kitchen table. Hermione hurriedly stood up and wrapped her arms around him, she could feel him shuddering, but he somehow managed to stroke her back reassuringly.

 

"Oh, Ron..." Hermione whispered sadly, wishing more than anything that this boy could somehow get the brother he'd so much loved back. He didn't deserve this...

 

 

None of them did.

Author's Note

I'd love it if you ignore my grammar and spelling mistakes :)

I'd also love to know what you think of this. I love writing Hermione and Ron. I have several unfinished stories of them. I love them, I love them, I love them, I love them, I love them, I love them! :)

Thanks for reading <3