1,998 words, 3 pages typed (before the begginning thing which I am writing at the end but whatever:D). Lovely.
This is for thegoodgirldoll's " Writing Your Butt Off and Typing Until Your Fingers Bleed-Audition Stage- Round Two. " challenge (oh and just so you know I have this thing where I want to let the readers know what the challenge was so they can tell me how they think I did...if you don't care...just skip this part:D) The task was to "In this stage you will be completing the theme, (which every stage will have,) of a character death. I want to see how well you can twist emotion in this round, if you can make your reader cry, make them feel the character's pain, etc." So..review and tell me how I did! I hope I did well:) ENJOY!
Reviews=Love!
Hermione's eyes watered with the realization that the war was over. It had taken most of her life this battle that was fought but it was over. She fell to her knees, turning to wrap her arms around Ron's waist and hold him in the muted silence of the courtyard. Everything was still for a moment after Voldemort was defeated before everyone jolted to life, hurrying desperately to find their family and friends. Hermione pulled away from Ron to embrace Harry who seemed to be now more than ever the boy who lived. Her breaths were short as she flung her arms around the boy's neck, unsure about what to feel or what to do or how to react. Ron stood a few feet away, looking at the beautiful girl in his best friend's arms suddenly thinking of his beautiful red haired sister. "Ginny." He mumbled, darting away from Harry and Hermione but they heard him and hurried after him. Harry pushed forward past the crowds of people who were attempting to crowd about him and followed Ron into the castle.
Ron spotted Mrs. Weasley and the others in the Great Hall and ran to them quickly. After surveying the group again he frowned deeply. "Where's Ginny and Fred?" He asked as panic filled his lungs and he began to look over his family's dark expressions. His mom looked as if she'd been sobbing and all of the others wore red eyes.
Harry approached a moment later, followed shortly by a panting Hermione. "Where's Ginny?" Harry repeated, not knowing that the question was now redundant.
"I didn't get to her in time..." Mrs. Weasley sobbed into her husband's shoulder. Hermione looked over Mrs. Weasley's shoulder and gasped, holding out a finger to shakily point at Ginny's lifeless body that now lay.
"Ginny.." Ron mumbled, looking at her as his knees buckled underneath him. No. This couldn't be. Not Ginny. No.. it just can't be Ginny. Hermione reached for Ron's hand but he shrunk away, starting at her sister. "Where's Fred?" He asked, unable to think of what must have happened.
Harry shook his head, looking down at Ginny's body and feeling his own begin to quake with the pain and sadness of their unfulfilled love. Hermione put a gentle had on his shoulder and he looked back at her, eyes prickling with tears. "I can't believe it." He mumbled and Hermione nodded, looking to Ron again. He was just staring at his sister's dead body. That couldn't be healthy. Hermione moved from Harry to attempt to comfort Ron again be he recoiled.
"Just stop!" He yelled, turning blazing eyes on Hermione again. He tore to his feet, glaring at her as tears pooled up in her eyes at the look in his eyes. "Just leave me alone!" He growled before stalking away in anger.
Tears dripped down her broken face as she watched feeling all the emotions she'd been feeling well over into a well built up sob. The war had taken a toll on everyone, including her. She had lived from a tent with that insufferable boy for several months! Her best girl friend was dead on the floor in front of her. She felt the deep pain that Harry felt beside her for his lost love and the searing pain the Weasley's (her second family, no less!) felt for loosing their Ginny and their Fred. Then there was the small fact that her parents were walking around somewhere in Australia with no idea who she is or that magic or this war ever existed. So she cried, letting all the pain she was feeling fall with her tears and soon enough she felt the arms of Mrs. Weasley wrap around her body as she nuzzled her close.
"Dear, don't mind Ron." Mrs. Weasley mumbled against Hermione's hair, having finally got it somewhat together. "It's just hard and he's hard headed..don't worry, dear. He'll come back." She whispered quietly.
The only problem was he didn't. The next day they departed from Hogwarts without him with heavy hearts, hoping he'd be in the Burrow when they arrived...but he wasn't. He wasn't there when they arrived or the next morning or the next or...you get the picture.
Hermione spent her days trying to conquer her own emotions and helping Harry with his own. As the days passed she got more antsy until she got an unexpected owl from Neville who'd heard from Dean who'd been in correspondence with Seamus that read,
"Dear Hermione,
Hope you are doing well. I know that things are hard for you right now but I hope things are at least better than when we last spoke. I am writing to tell you that I recently got a letter from Dean telling me that Seamus had seen Ron in a muggle pub on the outskirts of London. I know you've been looking for him so I thought I'd write to let you know. I hope you find him soon, Hermione.
Love,
Neville Longbottom."
"Hermione are you serious?" Harry asked with a dark frown on his face as he looked at her in the darkness of the hotel room they were sharing in London. He was sitting on the edge of one of the beds in jeans and a tee shirt while she stood in front of him in a pair of jeans, a black polo and a brown jacket. "You seriously want me to just stay here and let you go prance around the pubs of London asking if anyone has seen 'this boy?'"
Hermione crossed her arms. "Yes, Harry. I need to talk to Ronald. I know what to say.. we have to bring him back. Poor Mrs. Weasley is going mad. It's as if she lost three kids. It's awful. We need him back." She pivoted, setting her hand on the knob before mumbling the words, "I need him," under her breath.
Harry let out a shudder of a breath. "I know you do Hermione but what if something happens to you?" He asked with a frown, looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "What would I do then? Go back to Mrs. Weasley myself? Say 'hey, Mrs. Weasley, Hermione never came back.'" He looked out the window at the kids playing in the park across the street. "Your practically their daughter, Hermione." He heaved a sigh, looking into her chocolate brown eyes. "I don't think I can loose someone else Hermione."
She let out a long sigh. "Fine. You can come but I've got to talk to him on my own."
Harry nodded, grabbing his black jacket from the end of the bed and hopping up. "Alright."
An hour later they'd scoured four clubs, having not found anything but tons of drunk muggles "Dancing Like There's No Tomorrow." Hermione trudged up to another door off of the slick, slippery rode, looking through the window. Her heart skipped a beat as she caught sight of red hair. She darted inside, leaving Harry running after her. She ran through the pub, searching for the red hair she'd seen but quickly defeated as she realized it was a young girl with short chopped red hair.
"Hermione.." Harry mumbled, smiling gently at her. "It's alright. We'll find him." He promised and she just nodded weakly, turning to walk to the man running the bar. She reached into the pocket of her jacket and pulled out the only picture she owned of Ron that she could show a muggle. She used her muggle camera last Christmas to take this picture of her, Ron and Harry.
She looked at the man at the bar with a tired expression as he raised an eyebrow and offered her a drink. She shook her head before showing him the picture. "Have you seen this boy?" She asked, watching as the man studied the picture carefully.
"Hm, yeah, I've seen him before." Hermione's heart thudded loudly in her chest as she heard him say the words. "He just went to the lue."
Hermione's eyes lit up. "Where's the lue?" She asked but he raised an eyebrow. "I really need to speak to him." She batted her eyelashes at him.
"Another round of beer, Bob!" Hermione heard Ron's voice call from behind her and she spun around, becoming nose to nose with the red haired boy she'd been searching for.
She shook her head, glancing at Bob. "Get him a ginger ale." She said, taking Ron by the arm and pulling him out of the pub past the dancing muggles.
"Herrr. Hermionnee!" He said, excitedly. "Where'd youu comee frrrrrom?" He asked and Hermione slapped him.
"Ronald Bilius Weasley!" She hissed, glaring at him. "What are you doing here? Why did you never come back to us at Hogwarts or the Burrow? Your mother's been worried sick! Harry is a mess and needs his best friend right now! And I just ... I need you to be there Ron! I don't know what to do here. I love you! I want you to come back with us so we can talk when you're sober. I know you miss Ginny and Fred but there are people here that love you and need you to be better..please Ron.."
He tilted his head to the side. "Yeah, no!" He yelled, laughing loudly. "I love these muggles." He nearly slipped as he tried to edge his way back into the pub but Hermione grabbed his arm.
"No! Ron, you need to come home with Harry and I! It's time for this madness to end. We need you back, Ron." She yelled, tears streaming down his face as he shook his head.
"No, no, no! This place is awesome!" He argued with a laugh. "I don't want to come home! I hate home!" He shook his head again, looking over her shoulder before turning to face her again. Suddenly he seems completely serious and almost too serious instead of being completely out of his mind with drunkenness. He started into her brown eyes with cold ones before walking a few paces so he was directly in front of her. "I'm not coming home, Hermione."
Harry had walked up behind Ron during this particular stare down and walked up behind him. "Ron." He set a gentle hand on his friend's shoulder and watched as Ron slowly turned to look at him. "That's enough. We're going home." Harry's voice showed that he was not going to take no for an answer as he started sternly at his red haired friend.
Hermione nodded, reaching out to gently take Ron's hand. "It's time." She whispered and Ron's eyes poured over with tears. Hermione's expression melted and she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, pulling him into her arms to hold him lovingly, allowing him to cry quietly into her chest. "Sh..it's okay." She whispered although she knew it wasn't. She too broke down, crying quietly as she looked at Harry's face as he stood alone in the moonlight. He was watching their embrace closely, wishing he had someone to hold in the same way. Hermione pulled away from Ron, seeing that it was too soon for Harry to see them together. "Let's go home." She mumbled, holding out a hand to Harry who nodded, taking it. She made eye contact with Ron who nodded, squeezing her hand before they were twisted off to the Burrow to mend their broken hearts together..the golden trio back together, forever.