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Hermione POV 

I couldn’t help but think that today was the end of a small era. 

The whole house today was full of light and laughter. 

I spent most of the day with Ron, well I have spent most of the Summer with him, but yesterday was a lot of preparation for the wedding. 

I had spent most of the day goofing off and laughing with Ron as we were sent to do all sorts of different tasks around the house for the wedding. 

Ron always looked best when was smiling and laughing, not that he didn’t look great the rest of the time, but he looked good especially when he had his signature smile on his lips.

Despite how great the day had been, we both knew that tomorrow would bring the start of a journey that neither of us knew whether or not we would make it out alive or not.

It was unspoken. 

But true all the same.  

We had all eaten together tonight for dinner. 

Then afterwards I watched as Ron beat Lupin, his father, myself and Shacklebolt at Chess one by one. 

And none of the games were particularly close either.

There was no one that could beat him. 

At least not of the people who were in this house, and right now that was a lot of extremely talented and smart people. 

It was once I had went to bed and I was sitting alone with my thoughts that the feeling started to creep inside my head as I thought about the task that is ahead of the three of us.

What if they find my parents?

What if Ron gets injured?

What if we can’t find the horcruxes?

What if Ron dies?

All these thoughts are running through my head, over and over. 

I can handle anything happen to me, it may not always be easy but I know I can endure. 

What I am not sure I can handle is if something happens to Ron. 

Will I be able to endure that?

Will Harry?

Ron has always been there for the both of us. 

He is kept us human. 

He made us laugh.

He told us what we needed to hear. 

He knew how to talk to us when we did not want to listen. 

The same as no one could deal with a moody Harry better than Ron, no one could deal with angry me better than Ron. 

He didn’t back down from us, he didn’t care who we were, or what we’d accomplished, he treated us as humans, as normal people and that is what we always needed. 

To be treated as humans not heroes. 

I try to turn over and get some sleep because who knows how much longer I will be sleeping inside a house on a bed instead of in a tent wherever we end up.

I try and close my eyes to sleep but every time I do, all I can see is Ron’s body in various states of injury or death and my shoot open again every time. 

Eventually I just give up and resign myself to another sleepless night and head downstairs towards the living room. 

When I get to the kitchen, I am shocked to see the reason for my sleeplessness sitting at the kitchen table, mindlessly drawing designs on the table with his fingers. 

“Hey,” I say quietly trying not to wake everyone.

Ron looks up and sees me and his face breaks into a grin. 

I am only wearing short shorts and a tight T-Shirt with nothing underneath.

I should be concerned that he is seeing me in my PJs, but for some reason I feel comfortable in my minor state of undress. 

“What are you doing up?” he asks.

“Couldn’t sleep,” I respond as I sit across from him.  

“Worried about Harry?”

My life would be a lot simpler if that was all I was worrying about. 

“Amongst other things…”

He nods his head in understanding like he knows exactly how I am feeling, which perhaps he does. 

“Want some hot chocolate?” 

The question was not what I expected. 

“Um...sure,” I respond. 

He shakes his head and move to get up.  

“You can go sit in the living room if you want, it’s more comfortable in their and I will bring it in to you,” he said with a smile before disappearing into the kitchen. 

I nod and stand before making my way into the living room and sitting on the couch closest to the fireplace. 

I hear shuffling and scraping coming from the kitchen but soon Ron emerges with two mugs in his hands. He handed one to me and sat at the other end of the couch facing me. 

“Do you think tomorrow will work?” I ask after a few minutes of companionable silence staring at the fireplace, sipping the mugs in our hands. 

“Yeah, I do. At the very least it is the best shot,” he responds. “But I can’t shake the feeling that once we leave to get Harry tomorrow, this summer cocoon we have built for ourselves will break and it will be all business. It’s not that I don’t want to see Harry or go and defeat You-know-who, but I have really enjoyed this summer and I’m not sure I am ready for it to end yet.”

He was silent for a few seconds after he almost literally pulled my exact thoughts from my head.

“Maybe it’s just me…” he said as if to try and pull it back. 

“It’s not you,” I say cutting him off. 

He looked at me shocked. “It’s not?”

“No,” I say quietly. “I feel the same way, this summer has fun and relatively care-free. But once Harry comes tomorrow, that will shatter and it will begin a journey I do not know if we will all emerge from and that thought terrifies me.”

He shook his head in understanding before getting a determined look in his eyes that I had seen a few times before. 

“Well, as long as I am around and can do something about, no one will touch the two of you. I don’t care what happens to me…”

“No!” I say sternly, my stomach had suddenly turned into a ball of nerves. “Don’t ever put yourself in harms way if you don’t have to just for us. I don’t know if I can handle...” 

He smiles at me, which just makes me more angry as my sentence trails off. 

“Hermione, for us to win this fight, the world needs Harry. For Harry to be able to make it through, he needs you to be there with him. That’s why I am here, to protect and defend you both for as long as I can because the world needs you both far more than me.”

Tears start to well up in my eyes as I look at him, because a part of me knows he is right but that doesn’t make it okay or what should or will happen. 

He puts his mug down and slides over and wraps his arms around me and I fall into his chest, my tears staining his shirt. The sobs wrack my body as he whispers soothing words into my ear. 

After my tears slow down a little bit I ask the question that I didn’t think I would have the courage to ask. 

“What about what we need?”

He lets out a small laugh. 

“You two are the strongest people I have ever met, you don’t need me.”

I sit up so I can look him in the eyes. 

“But we do! I do! I don’t know if I can handle something happening to you…” I lean back into his chest as the thought of his bloodied torso comes screaming back to the front of my mind.

“I am not going to say that I know, everything will be okay, because I do not know. But what I do know is that wherever we are, no matter what we’re doing, everyday, every fight, every challenge, I will fight with everything in my body to come back. To my family, to Harry, but mostly I will fight to come back to you.”

The tears start to slow down at his words because despite everything, I believe him and I know I will fight just as hard to get back to him. 

The pit in my stomach starts to dissipate and I feel my exhaustion start to catch up with me. 

“We should probably head to bed,” he says reluctantly but before he can move I strengthen my hold on his torso before he can get to far and the bubble we are currently in pops.

“Can we just stay down here tonight?” I ask before the logical part of my brain can stop me.

“Of course,” he says with his half smile that makes my heart flutter. 

He falls back onto the pillows and eventually lies down on the couch bringing me with him. 

The couch isn’t big but I snuggle into him and when I close my eyes, I don’t see Ron bloodied or near death, I see him and our future together and I fall asleep with a smile on my face. 

Ginny POV 

When I wake up I look up to find my room empty. 

She probably already went downstairs. 

I look at my clock and see it is still before 7.

I have always woken up on the early side, but one thing I learned from rooming Hermione is that she is always up and at it before anyone else. 

I’m not surprised she is up before me but I am surprised she is up this early, it is going to be a late night and I heard her say last night she was going to try and get as much sleep as possible. 

I know that now that I am up and my brain is moving, it is pointless for me to try and go back to bed, so I get up and throw on my clothes for the day. 

I yawn a couple of times as I get ready and just after seven I exit my room. The house is still quiet at this early hour as I make my way down towards the kitchen. 

Mom will be up soon getting meals cooked and getting all of us prepared for the day, followed by the twins most likely, we won’t see Dad or Bill and Fleur, till past 10 most likely. All the others I have no idea but I would guess they would be awake on the early side.  

I make it to the ground floor and sit down at the table to watch the sun come up through the window. 

I mindlessly watch as the sun comes up and my thoughts turn to Harry. 

I wish more than anything I could go and help get him from the Dursleys but since I am underaged, they won’t allow me to go. 

So I have to sit here while everyone else goes off, and I wait while my brothers, father, best friend, and the boy I love race to get back here not knowing if any of them will return, or if they do, if it will be in one piece. 

Rustling from the living room breaks me out of my thoughts. 

Who is in the living room?

I start walking towards the living room. 

Hermione has to be somewhere I guess. 

I round the corner and glance into the room. 

The site before me startles me a lot more than it really should have. 

I see Ron and Hermione still asleep on the couch, Hermione snuggled into Ron’s chest and arms wrapped around his torso. Ron has his arms around Hermione and his head on his pillow. 

So this is where Hermione disappeared to. 

They don’t have a blanket, but both seem dead to the world. 

I look at the clock and it I’m surprised to see that it is past seven-thirty, both have always been early risers and would probably be up by now if not for their current sleeping situation.

It’s about time, they have been dancing around each other for over 5 years now.

I hear someone come walking towards me from behind and turn to see Mom looking at me with a question behind her eyes. 

It is not everyday that I just stand in a doorway not saying anything. 

“Ginny, what--” she starts but I indicate to her to be quiet and wave her over. 

She walks towards me still clearly confused but she rounds the corner and looks over my shoulder to the scene in front of her. 

Her expression quickly turns from one of confusion into one of relief and happiness as she examines the two of them on the couch similarly as I just did. 

“They really are adorable together aren’t they?”she whispers to me. 

I just smile and look over them again as Hermione seems to snuggle closer to Ron in her sleep, their bodies fitting together like two puzzle pieces. 

“Yes, they really are,” I whisper back.

“Come on, help me get started on breakfast.”     

I turn and follow her to the kitchen and we get started. 

Everyone starts waking gradually as we finish preparing breakfast, including Dad and Remus and Tonks. 

It is half past eight when the twins make their way down and no one has heard a stir from the happy couple in the next room. I gesture to them to look in the living room and they turn and walk into the doorway. 

I do not need for them to be turning towards me to know they both have big stupid grins on their faces. 

“This is going to be fun Georgey,” Fred said. 

George nodded and they both came to the table to eat.

 It is past nine by the time Bill and Fleur come down, which is early for them, and we all finish eating and I leave the rest of them to do the dishes and glance back in on Ron and Hermione. 

They look so carefree, how that will change once they wake. 

I turn and head outside and leave them to their peaceful slumber. 

Hermione POV 

Peace. 

That is all I feel as I begin to wake up. 

It takes me a second to realize where I am. 

My head is on something hard, definitely harder than a pillow, yet somehow I am not uncomfortable. 

My mind is still not fully awake as I feel myself bring whatever I’m on, closer as I strengthen my grip on it. 

I hear a groan and that’s when it clicks in my brain and the thoughts and events of last night come flooding back into my brain. 

My eyes shoot open as all the memories come flooding back. I see sunlight streaming in the windows and I know I slept later than I normally do. 

I am almost always one of the first people up. 

I have always been a morning person. 

I lay there unmoving as I try to comprehend what is happening. 

I should get up and go back to Ginny’s room to avoid the slum of people who are in the house before they all come in here. 

But the thought of leaving Ron’s arms is not that appealing, and I feel safer and more at peace and more rested than I have in a long time. 

I glance at the big grandfather clock and am shocked again when I see the hand is well past nine. 

The last time I slept past nine was before I had even heard of Hogwarts. 

The logical part of my brain is screaming that I should be more worried about being caught like this, but it is easily squashed by the growing feeling of peace as I snuggle closer to Ron. 

I know that as soon as he wakes he will probably jump away, so I will enjoy the time until then.

I close my eyes and push myself further into his embrace. 

I lay there for I don’t even know how long until I feel Ron start stir beneath me. 

I look up at him as I see his eyes open and start looking around before he squeezes his arms around me and looks down to find me looking up at him. 

It takes a lot for me not to crawl up and brings his lips crashing into mine. 

I almost did it out of instinct, it felt so natural, waking up like this. 

Like we had done this a thousand times

“Morning,” he said to me in a hushed whisper, his voice still quiet and raspy from sleep. 

“Morning,” I say back to him, a smile and blush creeping onto my face. 

We stare into each other's eyes for a couple more moments before a loud growl comes from Ron’s stomach voicing it’s hunger. I glance at his stomach then back up at him, then we both bust out laughing. 

“I think that means it is time to get up, we probably should before anyone comes in here and sees us like this,” he says, still not giving any indication he is going to move.  

A small laugh escapes my lips and he looks at me with a curious look asking me a silent question. 

“Ron, it is past nine, I would be shocked if no one saw us,” I say back to him with a smirk. 

“Well, no reason to get up then,” he responds closing his eyes again but not before his stomach lets out a big growl again. 

“I think your stomach would disagree,” I say causing us both to laugh. “We really should get up Ron, there is a lot to do for the wedding and in preparation for tonight.”

“Yeah, your right,” he says disappointedly. We lay there for a couple more seconds as I turn and lay my head on his chest again. “If you want to get up, you have to move first.”

I let out a big sigh, before starting to disentangle myself from him. 

Almost immediately I feel colder and less secure. 

I look down and realize I am still only wearing short shorts and a T-shirt with no bra on. I run my hand through my hair and it feels a little bushy and I’m sure my makeup is smeared and a mess. 

I feel the need to escape as I feel Ron’s stare on me. 

Man what must he think of me right now.

“I must look horrible right now…” I start but Ron steps closer and despite my body yelling at me to move, I stay rooted in my spot.

“You look beautiful,” he whispers so quietly I almost miss it.

Beautiful....he thinks I’m beautiful.  

I look into his eyes and all I see is admiration. 

I hold his gaze and I feel him start to move closer. 

His lips are mere inches from mine when someone clears their throat and we jump away from each other. 

“Looks like you two love birds have finally woken up,” George says to the pair us.

I feel myself blush and spare a glance at Ron. 

If looks could kill, George would be six feet underneath the ground right now, which brings a smile to my face. 

But then I remember my appearance and nerves flood my stomach.

“I have to go change,” I whisper and exit the room as quickly as possible, I can feel my face burning red. As soon as I get out the door, I lean against the wall, and I can still hear the brothers talking inside. 

“Sorry little brother, didn’t mean to ruin your moment there,” George said. I didn’t need to be in the room to know George had a smirk on his face. 

I didn’t hear Ron respond for a moment so I thought he was going to stay in silence but then I hear heavy slow footsteps start across the floor and Ron speaks in a lower tone than I have ever heard before.

“Wipe that stupid smirk off your face, or I will do it myself.”

I smile at the sentence then take off for the stairs not wanting to be caught eavesdropping. 

Ron may be the youngest of all his brothers, but everyone of them, including the twins, were more scared of him than any of their other brothers.

I get to Ginny’s room and slam the door behind me. 

I slide down with my back against the door to the floor, a thousand thoughts running through my head. 

What does this mean?

Should we talk about? 

What will he say if I try to bring it up?

Should we even be getting into this with what we both are about to try and do? Killing Voldemort?

I shouldn’t even be thinking about this! I should be focused on getting Harry tonight. 

I let out a groan, willing my brain to stop moving at 100 mph.

I am not excited about the plan, but no one can come up with a better one since Harry is underaged. 

I know Harry will not be impressed but he won’t really have a choice.

I take a deep breath and let it out as I try to get all my thoughts in some semblance of order.

No matter how hard I try, the only thing I can seem to think about is those few inches between my lips and Ron’s. 

I have wondered for so long what Ron’s lips might taste like and it kills me that I came so close to knowing and it was taken away. 

I think about all that has happened the last 24 hours. 

I think about what we talked about last night, his words ingrained into my memory ever since he said them. 

“Hermione, for us to win this fight, the world needs Harry. For Harry to be able to make it through, he needs you to be there with him. That’s why I am here, to protect and defend you both for as long as I can because the world needs you both far more than me.”

I don’t think I will be able to handle if anything happens to Ron. And I don’t think Harry would be much better. 

I love Harry, but without Ron as a buffer between us, we would have never made it this far. 

Ron is Harry’s link back to being a normal teenager, he helps him laugh and let go of all the stresses in his life even if briefly. 

And me…

There is no one else that can pull me out of my books and my school work when I am stressed to hell better than he can. He knows when I need to loosen up a little bit and have some fun. He is the only one who can bring me out of my hyper focus state and get me to socialize and make sure I actually eat something everyday. 

I know that a lot of people, even Harry, are to scared to talk to me when I am in that state, but Ron never has been, he almost never backs down from me. And all though it is a bit childish, I normally enjoy some of our arguments, I enjoy the rush I get, I enjoy the look of stubbornness he gets in his eyes. 

I also enjoy the times when we can have a normal civilized conversation or debate without turning it into something that has the whole common room looking at us.

I love Harry...but he is not Ron. 

But Ron has always considered those around him more important than himself. 

It has always been that way.

That goes all the way back to first year when he sacrificed himself during the chess match, to the slugs incident in second year, to jumping in front of Sirius third year. 

The list goes on but I’m not sure I want to think about the rest because it is just more proof of the fact that he is serious when he says he will put our lives in front of his.

It is why I…

I stop my brain short of completing that thought. 

I don’t know if I am ready to admit that now. 

Even to myself.

Not when we are about to undertake the hardest task of our lives. Go through what will most likely be the hardest thing we'll ever do. 

And the thing I am most worried about is if Ron will be okay. 

The logical part of my brain knows that I should not put as much emphasis and thought on that. But I meant it when I said that I was not sure if I or Harry could do what we are about to do without him. 

We have made it this far because we are a team. 

An inseparable trio.

But despite what everyone else in the world thinks, The “Golden Trios” most important member was Ron. Because me and Harry would both go insane if he wasn’t around. I don’t know if we would speak to each other or if we would just sit in silence, not knowing what to say.  

I don’t know how long I sat there but my thoughts are broken when someone tries to open the door I’m leaning against. 

I feel myself tense. 

I’m not ready to see Ron right now. 

“Hermione, that you?” 

I relax at Ginny’s voice, knowing I do not want to confront Ron right now. 

I get up and open the door and Ginny walks in with a smirk on her face. 

“Hiding?” she asks. 

I just look at my feet, a blush creeping onto my cheeks. 

“Want to talk about it?”

I look at her and see sincerity on her face but I’m not sure I want to make this real by speaking it out loud. So I shake my head. 

“Well, if that’s true, my mom is looking for some help, she is looking for you,” she said walking towards the door. 

“I don’t...I didn’t get much sleep last night, maybe I should…” my thought is interrupted by a snort of laughter and I look up at her. 

“It looked like you were sleeping just fine earlier,” she said with a smile. 

I look at her annoyed because that is the exact thing I do not want to be thinking about right now but before I can respond she continues. 

“Don’t worry, Ron is outside helping prepare the fields and won’t be inside for quite awhile, so you don’t have to worry about seeing or talking to him.”

I want to ask why she knows that is what I am worried about but the confusion must have showed on my face as she continued. 

“Hermione, there are only two things that can get you as worked up as you are now, end of year exams at Hogwarts and Ron.” I roll my eyes but I know that that is true. “And since the end of the year exams passed months ago that means that something happened between you and him. So you coming?” 

“We almost kissed,” I say hurriedly, not able to keep it inside any longer. 

Ginny’s mouth dropped open but then she recovered. 

“What do you mean almost, what stopped you?”

“George,” I snarl, anger very much evident in my tone. 

“Oh that selfish, son of bitch!” she says clearly not happy, though I’m not sure why that got suck a big reaction. 

“Why selfish?” I ask. 

She looks at me slightly panicked, like she let something slip. 

“Oh nothing,” she said defensively and turned to leave but I slammed the door and locked her in. 

She is hiding something and I want to know what it is. 

With all the uncertainty going on around us, this is something I can solve right now. 

“If you think that you are getting out of this room with an answer like that, that clearly indicates you are hiding something from me, you don’t know me very well.”

It looked like she was going to be stubborn about it, but after a few seconds, she wilted. 

“The family has a pool going on when you two will get together,” she said quietly. 

Out of all the answers, that was about the last one I expected. 

“You guys are betting on when we are getting together,” I ask, an unbelievingly tone in my voice. 

She shook her head in confirmation. 

“How long has this been going on?” I basically scream the question. 

“Well, the twins set it up the summer before your fifth year and every one entered. Charlie had the first term sixth year and everything before, Dad had second term of sixth year, I have this summer, Fred has the first term this coming year, George has second term, and Bill has everything post-graduation,” she says. 

“Did Harry know?”

“Hell no, he could never keep it from you two,” she said with a laugh. “And you should know that it is not just us that is invested in your romance, I know there is a Gryffindor pool and there was even a rumour that the teachers had one going on you two as well.” 

I am shocked to say the least. 

Has it always been so obvious to everyone around us that they have been betting on when we are going to get together?

How is that true? 

“Ginny! “ Molly shrieks from downstairs. 

I know I need to be helpful today, so I shake my head and try to turn off all of the thoughts about everything that has happened this morning so I can be productive not just this afternoon but tonight. 

I unlock the door and we head downstairs in silence. 

‘There will be time for all of this another time. Not when I need to be focused on the mission ahead and getting Harry here with us.

I let out a sigh as I enter the kitchen. 

I have a long night ahead, I need to focus on Harry and nothing else. 

Hermione POV 

We were getting ready to go to the Dursleys, we have a few minutes until we are leaving. 

I had managed to avoid Ron for most the day still not really sure what to do about this morning events and I know that thinking about it or just simply seeing him will distract me from what I need to be focused on. 

And I need to be focused. 

I am still not sure how I should feel about people betting on our relationship, but I figure that that is very low on what I should be worried about right now. 

I wonder if Harry knew?

Focus!

I take a deep breath and head out to in front of the burrow where everyone is waiting and preparing to take off towards Harry’s house.  

I’m a little worried about flying because I have never been very good on a broom, but me and Ron had flown a little bit over the past week and Ron gave me some tips and tricks. 

It turned out that that was unnecessary since me and Shacklebolt are taking a Thestral but the time was in no way shape or form a waste of time.

Any alone time with Ron is never a waste of time. 

As I exit the door, there are a lot of people in front of the Burrow hustling and bustling about making the last minute preparations. There is a lot of anxious chatter, and I look and see Ginny chatting with her Dad. 

I know she is not happy about being left behind, I can’t even imagine not being able to not go on this trip, despite the danger and I’m sure that just sitting and waiting for my family and friends to come back would feel worse. 

I scan the area in front of me until my eyes land on Ron. He is engaged in a conversation with the twins but I can tell how nervous he is and is not actually listening in on the conversation. 

He turns and our eyes lock onto each other. 

Everything seems to fall away as I stare into his deep blue eyes. 

I am no longer standing in front of the Burrow, I am not getting ready to rescue my best friend from his house, I’m not even surrounded by 20 people preparing for a journey, it is just me and him. 

No one else. 

I only see him. 

I see nervousness in his eyes as his penetrating eyes stare back at me. 

I also see admiration as his blue orbits stare back at me, almost piercing my sole. 

Gone is the nervousness I have been feeling all day, gone is the worry about the task in front of us, gone is the worry about what this morning meant for the two of us. 

Neither of us move, neither of us speak but it is almost like we do not even need to. 

It is a simple promise that shines in his eyes, one of trust, one of need, one of love. 

Before I can stop myself, even before I realize I am moving, I am standing within a few feet of him. 

I feel tears threatening to spill over as I think about what is ahead, what is at risk. 

“We’re going to be okay,” I hear him say. 

I lean into him and sink back into his embrace, finding warmth and comfort in his arms, the only place where I could ever feel secure and safe at a time like this.

“Just promise me, you will come back. I wasn’t lying when I said that I don’t know if I can do this without you,” I say against his chest. 

He pushes me away slightly so he is looking me in the eyes.

“Hermione, I can’t promise or guarantee anything about what lies ahead for both of us,” a tear slides down my face at his comment, but I let him continue. “But the one thing I will always promise you is I will fight to the very end to come back to you.”

“Come back to me…” I echo softly to him. 

My voice at almost a whisper. 

We both start to lean in and all thoughts leave my head except for the want to taste him, to feel his lips on mine. 

“All right, everybody!” We jump away from each other at Mad Eye’s booming voice and I can hear the Twins snickering nearby. “Grab your partner! We are moving out!” 

I look over at Ron and he looks severely unimpressed.

“We really have bad timing,” Ron says to me angrily under his breath. 

I laugh quietly and after one last glance, turn reluctantly to link up with Shacklebolt.

I climb on the Thestral behind Shacklebolt, and just before we take off into the unknown, my eyes find Ron’s again. 

The same promise shining in his eyes, that could be summed up in just two words. 

Come back . 

I nod at him, trying to convey my own promise in return. 

I return my eyes to the sky ahead of me and we take off into the wind.

I didn’t know what was lying ahead, but I had a feeling this was going to be a long night, I just didn’t realize at the time, that this would be one of the longest nights of my life. 

Hermione POV 

Flash! 

“Stupefy!” 

Dip. 

Swoosh! 

“Hold on! This landing is going to be rough!”

Getting to the burrow, no problem. 

Setting up the seven potters, Harry had resisted, which was expected but other than that had gone off without a hitch. 

Leaving…

They must have known we were doing this tonight, because as soon as we left, they were on us. 

A whole group of them had been on us right at the beginning but as we started to split off, so did the Death Eaters. 

Not many had come after us, a good amount went after George and Remus, about the same after Fred and Arthur, Bill and Fleur. I don’t really know what happened to Mundungus and Mad Eye. 

What worried me most was the most Death Eaters by far went after Tonks and Ron, the way they were flying had almost made it seem like they were trying to attract the Death Eaters attention. 

The hard thump of our landing jarred me from my thoughts and I climbed off and jumped to the ground, followed by Shacklebolt, who had been struck by something as he was bleeding from just above his eye, but otherwise seemed to be all right. 

“Stay behind me,” he muttered as we approached the Burrow and Remus and Harry came out of the house. 

I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw Harry unharmed. 

Shacklebolt and Remus had their wands aimed at each other. 

“The last words Albus Dumbledore spoke to the pair of us,” Shacklebolt said. 

Remus let out a small laugh. 

“Harry is the best chance we have, trust him.”  

Both men seem to be satisfied at that and I push past both of them and embrace Harry in a hug.

We stay like that for a few seconds but worry is settling in my gut. 

Where is Ron?

The others start to come back, mostly unharmed, but the one group I want to see come walking up has not yet.

I don’t want to head inside yet, not without Ron. 

I turn to Harry who has a similar worried expression on his face. 

“Are you okay?” I ask, my voice is shaky. 

 “George took a hit to his ear and is pretty shaken up,” he says guiltily. “I’m glad to be here though. You?” 

I look back out into the darkness, willing the only redhead I want to see come walking up. 

“I’m worried,” I say honestly. 

“Ginny said they should have been back before me and Hagrid,” Harry says quietly. 

Pretty soon everyone else filters inside except for me and Harry. 

Remus had reluctantly gone inside to speak with Shacklebolt and help George. 

Bill had come out to tell us the Mad Eye was dead. 

I tried hard to be sad about it but the worry over Ron trumped anything else going on. 

Time seems to move so slow as every second seems like it takes a minute. 

After, I don’t even know how long, Arthur came out of the house, he starts to speak, but his voice seems like almost a whisper against the huge weight that is sitting against my brain. 

“Do you kids want to come inside,” he asks. 

Harry looks at me almost like waiting for me to decide, but I do not move and continue to stare out into the dark, giving no indication I had heard him at all. 

“I think we are going to stay out here for awhile,” I hear Harry say. 

A battle is going on inside my mind between my logical and emotional sides of my brain, and I cannot tell who is winning. 

I should go out after him. 

No, that would be stupid and reckless. 

He would do the same for me and wouldn’t take no for an answer. 

He would also want you safe and away from harm. 

What kind of friend would I be if I wasn’t willing to risk my life for his. 

One that is alive and healthy, besides Harry needs me.

But I need Ron! What kind of help can I offer if I’m an emotional wreck over Ron. 

It won’t be easy, but Harry needs you more than Ron does, until Voldemort is dead, Harry is the priority.

Priority for who? 

The battle continues back and forth for awhile, going in circles.

The only thing that stops it is when my eye catches movement in the sky in front of me. 

Before my brain can process this, both Harry and Remus are by me and running towards the figure in the sky coming towards us. 

Hope fills my chest but worry pounds my head as the thought that there is only one person coming rings in my brain. 

I see Harry and Remus glance at each other in front of me and I am sure they are thinking the same thing. 

I run after Harry and Remus as the figure grows closer. 

As we draw closer, the rider does not have the bright red hair that I so desperately want to see, but light purple. 

I try to keep my face neutral as I feel the worry take over my body, but my knees start to shake and I feel tears in my eyes. 

I hear other steps coming from behind me but pay them no mind. 

As soon as she touches the ground, Remus engulfs Tonks in a big hug, his entire frame seems to sag as relief washes over his features. 

I look back to the sky, wanting beyond words to see someone else moving towards us but despite my wish, there is no movement. 

My hope starts to give way to even more worry than before. 

“Where is Ron?!” Harry bellows and I turn and face the group, my eyes searching Tonks face for an answer. 

I can tell she doesn’t want to say anything, and I see regret on her face and a new wave of fear washes over me. 

“Where?!” Harry screams. 

“Harry, calm down…” Remus starts to stay but stops when Harry looks at him. 

“I don’t know…” Tonks says. 

She says it so quietly that I almost miss it.

“What?” I breath, not wanting to hear the reality, I feel my anger start to rise. “How can you not know where he is? You were his protector!”

“Why don’t we go back to the house, get you looked at then you can tell us what happened,” Remus says again, trying to defuse the situation. 

“No!” I say emphatically. 

“Hermione, she needs to be looked at…”

“If you think she is going anywhere without telling me where the man I love, who was supposed to be under her protection is, then you do not know me very well.”

I hear a few startled breaths and snickers after I finish, and Remus’ and Tonks’ eyes go wide and I’m confused why.

It is only when thinking back on what I said that I realize what I said. 

Did I seriously say that out loud?

It is not untrue, but I have never said it so bluntly or out loud before. 

Or fully admitted it to myself either. 

I refocus on what is in front of me and raise my eyebrows expecting a response.

“Hermione, I know how you feel, but forcing an answer now will not make the situation any better.”

I look at Tonks and she doesn’t look like she is in great shape, and she is pregnant, so I slowly and reluctantly shake my head in approval. 

Everyone starts to walk back to the house, leaving only me, Harry and Ginny staring into the blackness of the night sky. 

Harry puts his hand on my shoulder and my shoulders sag under the weight of worry on my shoulders. 

We start to make our way back towards the house, Harry falling step beside me as fear overtakes my body in a way I fear will never go away. 

“He will be okay,” Ginny says beside me softly, trying to help. 

The words are supposed to be a comfort, but it only reminds me of the man who would usually mutter those words in my ears.

The man who is supposed to make me feel safe at a time like this. 

“You don’t know that,” I snap at her harsher than I meant to. 

I see her and Harry exchange glances as I walk past them, quickening my strides before plopping back down on the steps outside the Burrow, refusing to go inside where I will just be further surrounded by people and things that will remind me of him. 

I sit on the steps, waiting for Tonks to be ready to tell the story. 

Ginny and Harry are sitting closely together, hands clasped together between them a couple of feet away, finding some semblance of comfort in each other but fear and worry are both prominently displayed in their features whenever I glance over and I remember that they are as worried about their best friend and brother as I am. 

I can hear them whispering, they think that they are being quiet but I can hear them clearly over the quiet of the night. 

“Did something happen between them?” Harry asked. 

“Yes and no. They did fall asleep in each others arms last night, ended up sleeping through half the morning,” Ginny responded, I didn’t need to look at her to know that she had a smile on her face. 

“How late did they sleep in?”

“Til about 10.” 

“Ten! It is a miracle when Hermione sleeps past eight.”

“She was pretty comfy, anyway, apparently after they woke up, they almost kissed but were purposefully interrupted by George.”

“I get that the Twins can be... the twins but why would George purposefully interrupt them?”

“The family betting pool.”

“The what?”

Ginny laughed at the question. 

“Our family has a pool going on when Ron and Hermione will get together.”

“Why wasn’t I involved?” Harry asked shocked. 

“Well, you are too close to them, so it would be unfair because you could push them in one direction or another.”

“Oh please, when I have ever been able to control what those two do?”

“You might be able to if you had skin in the game, plus, I didn’t think you could keep it from them.”

“So they don’t know about it?”

“Ron doesn’t, I did tell Hermione today though, I slipped up and she forced it out of me,” I would have continued eavesdropping but Shacklebolt exited the house and the conversation ceased. 

“We are about to talk to Tonks, I assume you all will want to take part.”

We are all up and in the house before Shacklebolt can even think to blink. 

Tonks is on the couch, Remus holding her hand as he sits on the chair which is pulled up by her head. 

I look over and George has some bandages around his head, but otherwise looks fine. 

He is up and walking, which is a good sign. 

My eyes fly around the room at all the people and things around the room, everything looks different somehow. 

Everything is dimmer. 

Not darker. 

But everything just looks less bright than it usually does. 

And it is not because it is the middle of the night. 

“How are you?” Harry asks, bringing my focus back to where it should. 

“I’m okay, the baby is good, which is the most important thing,” she says with an extremely relieved tone. 

An awkward silence filled the air after the response, like everyone is scared to move. 

“I’m sorry about before if I was insensitive…” I start but am quickly cut off by Tonks. 

“Hermione, don’t apologize, I would have probably reacted the exact same if I were in your shoes.” 

We smile at each other for a second, then out of the corner of my eye I see Ginny flip her hair a little, which sends my brain flying back to the redheaded boy that is not in the room. 

“What happened?” Ginny asks, trying to keep her voice steady, but the concern obvious in her voice. 

“When we left there was that huge group of Death Eaters that followed us. I believe there were 9 of them. Before we had left, Ron had pulled me aside and told me that if there was a big group of Death Eaters, that we should draw in as many as possible to try and protect Harry and the others as much as possible,” she said.

“Why did he think that there would be a big group of Death Eaters, no one was supposed to know about when I was being moved, we expected some resistance but not that much,” Harry asked. 

“He said to me that he would be shocked if there wasn’t a big group waiting for us.” 

“But how…” 

“Mr. Weasley has always been a high level strategist, the chess game when he was 11, is just one example. He probably deduced that it only made sense to attack Harry while he was in transit. When he was the most vulnerable. Once here, Harry is basically untouchable,” Shacklebolt said in his calm and steady voice.

“Anyway, he said he wanted to draw in as many as possible, then break off from the group almost immediately to draw them away from the rest of you.”

“Did he have a plan to deal with them then, I can’t imagine that you two could take on 9 Death Eaters very easily?” Harry asked expectantly. 

Tonks took a deep breath before continuing. 

“Once we got them a safe distance away from you all, he took his broom and dove almost straight down, so hard I thought there was no way he would fall off, but the move forced the Death Eaters to stop and try to bank back around us. I did a U-Turn and turned down to where he had stopped. When I did that the Death Eaters tried to follow my path, splitting into two bunched groups of 5 and 4. But the way they flew gave Ron a perfect angle for him to hit them straight on. He was able to take out 5 of the 9 that had split off to follow us.”

“He took out 5?” the Twins asked in unison disbelievingly. 

The pit of worry had only grown as Tonks had begun the story but I remained quiet as she nodded her head and continued. 

“The way they were coming at him was in a two by two formation so when he hit the front two with curses and they flew back taking out the person behind them. Normally they wouldn’t be stacked like that but because of the sharp turn, the 5 he got all had to turn behind one another to avoid hitting each other or they risked losing their way in the black of night. Once it was just four of them left, we took off in the direction of the Burrow and I was able to take out 1 of them. Ron saved me from a couple curses, and I saved him from some.” 

The entire room was silent as we listened. 

She took a deep breath and then continued. 

“We kept dipping and dodging and it looked like we were going to somehow emerge unscathed  then one curse struck my broom and it started to falter and slow down. I do not know how, but Ron pulled me onto his broom and then jumped onto mine in one move. I still don’t really know how he did it. ”

Tears started to fall down her face. 

My insides seized up even more than they already had, which I didn’t even know was possible. 

“I remember looking at him like he was insane and he simply smiled and said to me “You’re pregnant.” 

She said the last part very quietly, like she was ashamed, Remus wrapped her in a hug.

She wiped tears from her eyes before continuing. 

“He then slammed on the brakes, stupefied one of the Death Eaters and then banked hard right and disappeared into the black. Both of the two remaining Death Eaters followed him, clearly more concerned with getting him than me. And they all disappeared into the night before I could see where they were going. Not knowing what else to do or where to go look for him, I made my way here.”

No one spoke because there was nothing to say. 

My emotions were a mess. 

Despair. 

Anger. 

Determination. 

Fear. 

But the feeling that scared me most was the feeling of emptiness that started to grow, almost like I was numb. 

No, he said he would fight to come back to me, so I fight to get to him. 

I stood up and sent the chair I was sitting in flying to the floor and started to make my way outside. 

The answer to my debate became clear, I couldn’t live with myself if I left him out there and did nothing to try and get back to the man I love. 

My ears hear people calling my name but my brain did not have the capacity to care what they were saying. 

I exited the Burrow into the August air and made my way to one of the many brooms that were lying around the yard. 

The broom that was in my hand was pried from my grasp and I looked up to see Harry, Ginny, Shacklebolt, Arthur and Remus standing before me.

“Hermione, what are you doing?” Arthur asked. 

“Isn’t obvious? I’m going to get Ron!” I shoot back at him. 

“You can’t,” Remus said calmly but the fire in me burned hot at his words. 

“I CAN’T!” Do you mean to say that you would stop me if I tried to leave!”

“If I had to,” he said again, equally as calmly. 

I scoff at him and start walking to find another broom around the yard. 

I hear the others following me trying to keep up as Remus keeps talking. 

“Hermione, I know how you feel, when I was waiting for Tonks to come back earlier all I wanted to do was get on a broom and go chase her. But I had faith that she would come back to me and I knew that she would not want me to put myself in any unnecessary harm for her. Think about it Hermione, what would Ron want you to do right now?”

I had been expecting this question, and the answer was obvious so I was prepared for my answer.  

“While I ask myself that question, ask yourselves this, what would Ron do if our roles were I switched? Would he sit here and wait?”

I can see all of them are racking their brains for anything to come back with but they were all drawing a blank. 

Because they knew the answer. 

He wouldn’t waste a second. 

He would have left already. 

Hours ago. 

It was Ginny who finally spoke again. 

“That doesn’t matter right now, what does matter is that you are here safe, Harry, Remus, Tonks, Shacklebolt, Dad, Fred, George, we are all here safe. As much as I want to take your side, grab my broom and go off chasing after my favorite brother, that is not what needs to happen. If you go, we all go. Harry goes. And we cannot risk sending Harry out there again.”

I know that they are right but logic is playing no factor in my thinking right now. 

A snort leaves my lips. 

“We need to stay here Hermione,” Harry says softly and I snort again. 

“You all are hypocrites. I know all of you, if the person you loved most in the world was out there, after hearing what we just heard, every single one of you would already be gone. All of you would have one thought on your minds and would stop at nothing to see it done. So if you think for one moment that there is anything you can say to me that will keep me here, why don’t you put yourself in my shoes.”

They were all silent again until Shacklebolt spoke. 

“I will make you a deal, stay tonight, and if he hasn’t shown up by morning we can search for an hour in the morning.”

That sounds horrible and will probably drive me insane but I know that Remus wasn’t kidding when he said he would stop me to keep me here so I ripped the broom I’m holding from there hands and chuck it away as hard as I can and storm off not wanting to look at any of them. 

I sit back in my chair from earlier and all three of them went back inside. 

A feeling of betrayal comes over me as I feel as if I’m betraying Ron by not doing what he would do. 

Tears leak out of my eyes as I stare into the darkness. 

Ginny came back out at some point and pulled up a chair near me followed soon by Harry. 

I started feeling stifled by having them so near. Like they were trying to force me to see their side but I wasn’t their number one fan at the moment. 

“Hermione, I’m sorry. You know I want to go out there just as much as you….” I interrupt not able to listen to either of them any longer. 

He doesn’t get to speak, not to me at least, I turn and stare at him in the eyes. 

I see the same fear in his eyes as he sometimes get when I get like this and he leans back away form me. 

“Harry I will make you a deal. You don’t speak again and I won’t show you that Ginny isn’t the only one that is good at the bat bogey hex. Deal?”

He simply looked down and fell silent again. 

I stand up from in between them and move away from them, sitting in the farthest chair from them.

We all sat there, looking into the darkness. 

Tears continue to blur my eyes and soon the dark of night begins to give way to the light of day. 

You come back to me Ronald Weasley. 

That is what I said over and over to anyone or any god that would listen, that’s all I wanted was my favorite redhead back. 

The man I love back.

Ginny and Harry eventually and somewhat awkwardly fell asleep in their chairs, hands still intertwined but I was too stressed to sleep, so I kept saying that over and over. 

You come back to me Ronald Weasley. 

You come back to me Ronald Weasley. 

You come back to me Ronald Weasley. 

You come back to me Ronald Weasley. 

You come back to me Ronald Weasley. 

I sit like that for hours. 

Saying it over and over in my head. 

The sun is beginning to peak out from behind the night sky and I am wondering how soon I will get to go out and try to find him. 

You come back….

Movement. 

At first I think my eyes are playing tricks so I wipe my eyes and try to get them refocused.

There is someone walking, well limping, straight in our direction.

That’s him.

My brain refutes my hearts hope at first, not wanting to give in to false hope, but the feeling of emptiness had only grown over the past hours and this was the only time it has stopped it’s spread into my heart.

The person moves closer and hope swells into my heart. 

The person is limping, covered in dirt, bloody, is looking down and looks to be barely standing but there is only one person who it could be. 

I leap out of my chair, sending it flying backward effectively waking Harry and Ginny, the whole house really, and take off running towards the man. 

As I run the weight starts to leave my shoulders as I get closer and closer to him. 

He looks up and the bright blue eyes I have grown to love look back at me. 

He smiles as I approach and I tackle him to the ground sending us both into the dirt. 

I land on top of him and he lets out a loud groan of pain but I can’t bring myself to care. I look down at him and he gives me a big smile. 

I can’t wait any longer and crash my lips against his. 

His lips are rough but smooth. 

He tastes divine. 

I try to throw every ounce of my love into the kiss. 

His tongue asks for entrance into my mouth and let it in willingly, our tongues dueling in each others mouths the same way we bicker on a daily basis. 

He breaks the kiss and looks into my eyes. 

“I told you I would fight,” he said. 

“Don’t ever do that again!” I tell him seriously. 

“You don’t even know…”

“Tonks told us, don’t ever do that again.”

He smiled at me.

“I mean it, I would not be able to handle it if you didn’t come back to me.”

I hugged him again. 

“You will never have to find out,” he whispers in my ear and I could hear the complete sincerity in his voice. 

Harry clears his throat and our little box is shattered. 

I help Ron to his feet, although with some difficulty and he leans on me heavily.

We get up and Harry engulfs Ron in a hug. 

“Don’t scare us like that.”

“No guarantees,” he said with a smile, but I could tell he was getting more and more drowsy by the second. 

After Ginny hugged her brother, with a ferocity rarely seen from her, we start our trek back to the house. 

Me and Harry were on either side of him but soon put Ron’s arms around our shoulders to help support him, as a big group of adults stand in front of the Burrow with smiles on their faces that do not come close to matching mine. 

As we walked back, the worry and fear that I thought were permanent fixtures in my heart, were gone and I finally had an answer to a question that was rattling around in my mind. 

I do not know if I would be able to be without him, but I know that anything these next few months will throw, I will be able to handle, with him at my side.