Impossible Possibilities

Ron felt the thud as he landed on the wet sand, this followed by a cracking noise. The one that usually followed apparating. At the moment, he was too numb to notice anything else. He lay there, confused. He tried to remember where he was, what had just happened. When he heard a voice, Harry's voice, yell Hermione's name it all came rushing back.

Malfoy Manor, Bellatrix, and Dobby. The torture, he remembered that most of all. He pushed himself up with shaky arms and saw Harry walk towards Hermione's body, which was as motionless as it was when Ron had been holding it. That's when it hit him, her body. The dagger that had managed to make its way into the warp Dobby had created, where had it gone? Why was Dobby moving but Hermione was just a limp body?

"Hermione, you're safe now. You're safe now." Harry was saying, he was still making his way over to her. Ron brought his train of thought to a halt and put his energy towards getting to Hermione.

"You're safe now." Harry said again, Hermione did not roll over or respond to Harry at all. Ron saw Harry stop a few feet ahead of him, his heart stopped for a moment.

"Mate," He whispered, "What's wrong." Harry didn't answer, Ron didn't want to see what made him stop.

"Harry, you're scaring me." Harry still didn't move, Ron gulped and pushed passed him. Then he saw what Harry was staring at with empty eyes.

Hermione lay there on her side with her back facing them, her right extended with 'mudblood' written in little jagged scratches. Then he saw the dagger planted mercilessly in her heart.

ONE WEEK LATER

The cottage was silent, it had been that way since Hermione's burial. It seemed that the crying stage was over and done with and it was onto the acceptance.

The funeral was quiet, everyone present had so much to say but didn't how to say it. They all just stood there for hours, staring at the pile of dirt while the wind blew. She deserved more than this, and after an emotional struggle Harry decided the best they could do for confidentiality was bury her at Shell Cottage and have a real memorial after the war was won.

Ron was the worst when he saw what had happened, he had fallen to his knees and held her dead body in his arms. All he heard was her screaming over and over again. Being tortured to the point of insanity while he banged his fists against the wall and screamed her name. So many regrets, so many conversations and moments he had with her rushed through his head. He had tried so hard to protect her and had failed.

Harry stood there numbly, just staring at Ron holding Hermione's dead body. So many people had died for him, had died to stop this damned war. But Hermione, why? What higher power had decided to take her of all people? It was more than how much he needed her to win. He needed his best friend. Watching Ron holding her, repeating how sorry he was for not protecting her made him realize he may have just lost both.

He was sorry, so sorry. The cruciatus curse, the dagger, Hermione was trying to do the most noble of things and not only was she murdered but tortured. On top of that, Harry couldn't do anything to stop it. Ron couldn't do anything to stop it, and now Hermione was dead and her parents would never know. Not that it would matter, they didn't even know they had a daughter. To all those who knew Hermione, she took a piece of everyone's heart when she died. Even if her death wasn't public information yet.

Dinner had been two hours ago, Ron actually ate most of it too. An improvement, considering he'd lost his appetite for a alarming amount of time. Now he sat by Hermione's grave, which was actually a pile of dirt adorned by a large stone that had her name magically carved into it.

Ron just thought, he had been doing a lot of that lately. And as much as he didn't want to admit it, he and Harry had to leave the cottage soon and continue onto defeat Voldemort. He figured that conversation could wait until Harry brought it up. He knew his friend was grieving his fair amount, so he wasn't angry with him for not loving her as much as she deserved. That was far from the truth. But he knew Harry would be the first to say it was time to finish what they had started, what Hermione had started.

"This isn't fair." He muttered, then he reprimanded himself for the understatement. He stared at the stone, at her name. He'd never thought she would be taken away from him like this, he'd been close to the thought when she was petrified in second year. But when she walked into the dining hall, everything was fine again. Hermione wasn't going to walk back in like everything was fine again, she was never coming back at all.

That's when he heard the screaming, he turned towards Shell Cottage. But the screaming wasn't coming from the cottage, it was coming from the beach. It sounded familiar too, it sounded like… No, it couldn't be.

Ron shook his head rapidly, trying to banish the screaming. It didn't stop. He ran down to the beach, desperate to shut up whatever was bringing back the horrible memory.

When he reached the beach, he saw nothing, the screaming still continued though. It was starting to make sense, too.

"Please, please, we found it. We found it!" It was Hermione and that was exactly what she was screaming at Bellatrix. But where the hell was it coming from?

"You lying little mudblood, how'd you get it?" That was Bellatrix, Ron was sure of it. Then the apparition began to rise, a blue ghostly figure of Hermione lying on the sand with Bellatrix on top of her holding the wand in front of her face.

"We found it!" Bellatrix grunted and waved her wand again.

"Crucio!" Hermione screamed a gut-wrenching scream, Ron could do nothing but stare and let the tears run down his face. The same hopeless feeling that set on him while this was happening the first time set in again. He could feel his hands shaking and the anger burning inside him, and he ran at the apparition at full force. He felt a lightness while running through it but hadn't even wavered it.

"Bloody hell." He cried, grabbing a fistful of hair and tightening his grip. It hurt, but not nearly as much as watching Hermione get tortured again.

"Crucio!" Hermione screamed again, tears running down her face. She sobbed, loudly as Bellatrix raised her wand one last time and repeated the forbidden curse. This time she didn't scream, her head just lolled to the side, eyes closed. She was unconscious, but still breathing.

"Why, why would you show me this?" Ron cried to no one in particular. He fell to his knees and watched the apparition fade, but with the sense of relief that it was over he felt a longing to see Hermione one last time.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I want… I want… Why did you take her from me?" He was sobbing now, like a little girl. With every cry his body shook, he was crying shamelessly.

"Ron?" Damn, these voices weren't going to leave him alone.

"Just disappear you damn apparition." He muttered.

"I dearly hope you don't mean that." Ron stopped crying for a moment and wiped away some tears, he looked up through blurry eyes. What he saw left him speechless.

"Hermione?" He whispered, it was she. She was wearing the same thing she had when she was killed, but looked alive and well.

"Yeah, it's me." She smiled, Ron felt his throat constrict. He stopped functioning for a moment and just stared. Hermione noticed he was at a loss and bent down.

"What's happening?" He asked, his voice was still quiet.

"Honestly, I don't know. There's no logical reason for it."

"I'm sorry, so sorry." Ron said, Hermione reached to grab his hand but she passed right through. She seemed to be frustrated at this.

"It's not your fault." She whispered, "Not your fault."

"You're dead. Dead, Hermione and it's my fault. I couldn't protect you and you died. I let Bellatrix torture and kill you. It's my fault." He screamed, Hermione looked taken back but quickly recovered.

"God damn it, Ronald! It was not your bloody fault! I don't know why I died or why I'm even in front of you now, but there's got to be some reason. My death is as much your fault as it is mine. And I'm sure you're not about to blame me for dying!" Ron stared at her awestruck, he almost look scared.

"Do you blame me for dying, Ron?" Hermione asked, her voice tinged with remorse. Ron shook his head.

"You and Harry have to leave Shell Cottage, soon. Voldemort is only getting stronger, and you're wasting precious time." Now it was Ron's turn to be taken back.

"I don't think we can do this without you, 'Mione."

"I know you can." Hermione bent down once again and kissed Ron on the cheek. Despite passing through him previous, Ron felt her lips touch his cheek gently.

"What happens now?" Ron asked, fearing the answer.

"I'm not meant to stay here, I know that." Hermione shrugged. "You need to let me go, Ron. I don't want to leave but it isn't healthy for you to live like this. I love you too much to let you live like this."

"But Hermione…" Then he realized what she had just said, "You love me?"

"For years." She nodded.

"I love you too, I love you so much. But you're gone and…"

"Can't come back." She finished.

"I don't want to live without you."

"So many people need you. Harry needs you, your family needs you. I need you to live for me. Can you do that?" Hermione was crying now too, clearly coming to terms with the fact she would soon be leaving the world of the living.

"Hermione…"

"Just do it." She snapped, she looked at Ron with pleading eyes. He could see a few more tears making their way down her face. Ron nodded, he reached out to touch her face and something beautiful happened. She was tangible, Hermione took notice of this and smiled weakly.

"Ron, I really do love you." She whispered.

"I love you too, Hermione." They stared into each other's eyes for a moment before Ron pulled her to him, Hermione responded positively as Ron kissed her full on the mouth. They fell onto the sand and lay there, smiling at each other. Ron could feel himself drifting off, and tried to will himself awake but Hermione took notice.

"I think our time is almost up, love." She whispered, Ron shook his head.

"I don't want you to leave me." Ron said.

"I don't want to leave you." She agreed.

"When I wake up," Ron could feel his eyes closing without his permission, "Will you still be here?"

"I don't know." Hermione sighed, she snuggled closer to his chest, enjoying her possible last moments on earth.

"I love you, Hermione. Never forgot that, I've always loved you." Ron murmured, pulling her a little closer. It felt so right, the thought of never holding her again made it that much more precious.

"I love you so much, Ron. Don't give up, finish this. For me, at least." She said into his chest.

"I will, I promise." Hermione watched as sleep overtook him and wiped the tears from her eyes. She felt a pull; a literal pull telling her it was time to go.

"But I don't want to." She said to no one in particular, she took a long look at Ron. Knowing it was the last time she'd see him for a long, long time.

"I'm going to miss you, Ron. I know you'll keep your promise." The pull became stronger; she slid out of Ron's arms before it pulled her away by force.

"I love you, Ron. I just wish we could've realized it before it was too late." Hermione looked at her hands, they were turning an odd tinge of blue. Ghost-like really.

"No logical reason." She laughed silently at the irony, and then she was gone.

NEXT MORNING

Ron woke up when the tide came in, salty water got in his mouth and nose. Slowly, he pushed himself up right. Last time he had ended up laying on the beach was when… Hermione. Hermione had been here last night. Ron's eyes darted around looking for her, but he was alone. He sighed and put his face in his hands.

"Ron?" It was Harry, "Ron, you down here?"

"Yeah, I'm down here." He mumbled, it took Harry a few moments to make it to the beach. It took him a little while longer to ask Ron why he slept on the beach.

"Hermione…" Ron stopped himself; he realized maybe it wasn't a great idea to mention what had happened last night.

"Dreaming about her?" Harry asked sympathetically.

"Yeah, dreaming." Harry didn't look convinced, "I don't want to explain right now."

"Fair enough." It was silent for a few minutes as Ron let last nights happenings settle in, maybe he had been dreaming. Dream or not, Hermione was right.

"Harry," Ron said, "I know it hasn't been that long since, well, you know but we should keep moving." Harry looked at Ron like he'd grown another head.

"You sure, mate?" Harry wasn't even sure if he was ready to leave yet. He felt like he was abandoning Hermione, leaving her behind.

"She would want us to, Harry. We need to finish this for her." Ron could feel the emotions setting in and took a gulp of air; he didn't want to start crying in front of Harry.

"Yeah, she would." Harry agreed, "We'll leave tonight?"

"Tonight." Ron nodded; Harry smiled slightly and headed back to the cottage.

"I don't know if you can hear me where you are, 'Mione, but I kept my promise."

END

Authors Note: Thank you for reading everybody, I apologize for the angst emotions and regret and all that stuff. I've been emotional lately. Hope the story was enjoyable, this was my first time writing Harry Potter Fan fiction so R and R would be greatly appreciated.