Life Can't Go On

by HermioneGrangerTwin

“How could my life go on when my reason for it is gone?” During DH. RHr.

Life Can't Go On

Disclaimer: I hate these things. I do not own Harry Potter. I feel like crap at the moment, so I won't rant and rave right now, but you can be assured that it will occur in others in the future.

Disclaimer 2: This happens at Malfoy Manor. You know the passage. I have been desperately avoiding these Fics, so I won't inadvertently use them in my story. If you have written one of these things, and find something in it like yours, you can be assured that I am not copying yours. I am avoiding them like the plague.

"Take these prisoners down to the cellar, Greyback."

The words didn't bother him so much. He could handle being down in the cellar of Malfoy Manor. He would go anywhere as long as he could protect Hermione. He was fine. Then it came.

"Wait. All except…except for the Mudblood."

Something welled up inside him, something so strong that he felt like screaming, like bursting out and killing someone. Then Greyback grunted with pleasure. He couldn't stand it. "No! You can have me, keep me!"

Bellatrix hit him across the face; the blow echoed around the room. Yet, it didn't hurt him, not in the slightest. All he could think of was Hermione. He had to keep her safe.

"If she dies in questioning, I'll take you next," she said, "Blood traitor is next to Mudblood in my book. Take them downstairs, Greyback, and make sure they are secure, but do nothing more to them – yet." Something inside him broke. He didn't know if it was his heart or his mind, but nothing was right inside anymore.

Bellatrix threw Greyback's wand back to him, then took a short silver knife from under her robes. She cut Hermione free from the other prisoners, then dragged her by the hair into the middle of the room. Ron wished to be able to reach out and hold her, and to make sure that Hermione was okay. Meanwhile Greyback forced the rest of them to shuffle across to another door, into a dark passageway, his wand held out in front of him, projecting an invisible and irresistible force.

"Reckon she'll let me have a bit of the girl when she's finished with her?" Greyback crooned as he forced them along the corridor. "I'd say I'll get a bite or two, wouldn't you, ginger?" Ron was inexplicably afraid at these words, and whatever mind was left from the breaking, he lost except for the one thought: Hermione was going to die. He started to shake, from the loss of mind, from the loss of Hermione, from the loss of everything except the dark cellar he was being pushed into. The door slammed with an echoing bang, and then he heard a terrible, drawn-out scream from directly above them. Thought seemed to surge, but the thoughts had a central point: he had to get to Hermione.

"HERMIONE!" he screamed, struggling against the ropes tying him to Harry. "HERMIONE!"

He vaguely heard Harry whisper, but he continued to scream. "HERMIONE! HERMIONE!" He had to get to her, to grab her and hold her and be her protector. He had to.

Then he heard a familiar whisper. It was Luna. He didn't know what she was saying, his thoughts moved too quickly and too loudly for him to understand her. Harry was whispering back. Something about the ropes. He began to contemplate getting the ropes off, when Hermione screamed again. All thought abandoned again. "HERMIONE! HERMIONE!"

"Mr. Ollivander?"

Ollivander? Why was Luna talking about Mr. Ollivander? He realized that he must be in the room. "You'll need to stay still." Luna had grabbed a nail and was digging at the ropes. Ron began to relax, trying to make it easier to release them.

"I'm going to ask you again!" came the horrible voice. "Where did you get this sword? Where?"

"We found it – we found it – PLEASE!" Hermione screamed again; Ron struggled harder than ever, and the rusty nail slipped. He had to get out to her; this torture had to stop. I can't do this.

"Ron, please stay still!" Luna whispered. "I can't see what I'm doing –"

Something registered in his brain, and he said, "My pocket! In my pocket, there's a Deluminator, and it's full of light!" Then, the whole ordeal of him leaving came back to the front. He immediately regretted everything he had said and ignoring Hermione when she called out to him. He wished he had spent more time talking to her, and less time trying to get her to stop avoiding him. He wished he hadn't fought with her so much in his years knowing her. He could have been talking to her instead of pointedly not talking to her. Everything he had done with her, he could've been talking to her, telling her how he felt about her, making sure she wouldn't ever be with someone other than him. He shook his head slightly; this was not helping him get out of the room, or helping them get out of the Manor. He looked around and saw that Luna had made the light appear.

"Oh, that's much easier, thanks, Ron," Luna said, Ron felt her working at their bindings again. Then he heard her again, the filthy bitch that was hurting Hermione.

"You are lying filthy Mudblood, and he know it! You have been inside my vault at Gringotts! Tell the truth, tell the truth!"

The heart-wrenching scream and his insides protested being still again. "HERMIONE!"

"What else did you take? What else have you got? Tell me the truth, or, he swear, he shall run you through with this knife!"

Ron wanted to laced his fingers around Bellarix's neck and choke her, shaking her until her brains melted inside her head. Then he felt the ropes fall away, and immediately started looking for a trapdoor. There had to be something; the house is so old, there was to be some sort of trapdoor, or opening, or something. After searching the entire length of the wall, he gave up, and as a last resort, tried to Disapparate. Shit! He didn't have a wand.

"There's no way out, Ron," said Luna. But he refused to listen. He would try to get out until someone came down to kill him, and even then, he would try to save Hermione.

"The cellar is completely escape-proof. I tried…" He heard nothing after "escape-proof". Something about the way she said it reminded him of Hermione, and it killed him. Then he heard Hermione's screams again, and started looking at another wall.

"What else did you take, what else? ANSWER ME! CRUCIO!"

Then her screams became worse, as he knew that pain was coursing through her. He broke down, and started pounding the walls, in desperation and anger. Damn it! WHY? Why does it have to happen to her? Why couldn't he have been the person to be tortured? Why can't he get out of this fucking cellar?! He then realized that he was sobbing. Please. Please let Hermione get out of this. Please kill me instead. Let me die. Somebody help her. I love her. I can't live without her.

Hermione's screaming became more anguished, and Ron tried desperately to let her know that he was there. He bellowed at the top of his lungs. "HERMIONE! HERMIONE!"

"How did you get into my vault?" They heard Bellatrix scream. "Did that dirty little goblin in the cellar help you?"

"We only met him tonight!" Hermione sobbed. "We've never been inside your vault…It isn't the real sword! It's a copy, just a copy!"

"A copy? Oh a likely story!" Ron burned with anger at the tone of her voice.

"But we can find out easily! Draco, fetch the goblin, he can tell us whether the sword is real or not!"

Harry dashed over to Griphook, and Ron was sure he was telling Griphook to lie to Bellatrix. Ron knew he needed to get himself together if he was going to save Hermione. He took a deep breath, and let it out and then heard Draco's voice coming from the door.

"Stand back. Line up against the back wall. Don't try anything, or I'll kill you!"

They did so, and as the lock turned Ron's mind went into autopilot and he clicked the Deluminator instinctively. At that moment, the door slammed open, and Malfoy marched inside, wand held out in front of him, pale and determined. He seized the little goblin by the arm and backed out again, dragging Griphook with him. The door slammed shut and at the same moment a loud crack echoed inside the cellar.

Ron clicked the Deluminator, wanting to know who it was. Three balls of light flew back into the air from his pocket, revealing Dobby the house-elf, who had just Apparated into their midst. What the hell? "DOB –!"

Harry hit him on the arm to stop him from shouting, and Ron was terrified at his mistake. Footsteps crossed overhead.

Dobby's enormous, tennis-ball-shaped eyes were wide; he was trembling from his feet to the tips of his ears. He was back in the home of his old masters, and it was clear that he was petrified.

"Harry Potter," Dobby squeaked in the tiniest quiver of a voice, Dobby has come to rescue you."

"But how did you –?" Harry started, but another tortured scream from Hermione drowned out the rest. Ron struggled to keep in check.

"You can Disapparate out of this cellar?" Harry asked him. Dobby nodded fervently.

"And you can take humans with you?" Dobby nodded again. "Right, Dobby, I want you to grab Luna, Dean, and Mr. Ollivander, and take them – take them to –"

A thought came to Ron. "Bill and Fleur's," he said, "Shell Cottage on the outskirts of Tinworth!" The elf nodded for a third time.

"And then come back," said Harry. "Can you do that Dobby?"

"Of course, Harry Potter," whispered the little elf. He hurried over to Mr. Ollivander, who appeared to be barely conscious. He took one of the wandmaker's hands in his own, then held out the other to Luna and Dean, neither of whom moved.

"Harry, we want to help you!" Luna whispered.

"We can't leave you here," said Dean.

"Go, both of you! We'll see you at Bill and Fleur's," Harry said frantically.

Hermione screamed again, and Ron's heart almost stopped. He looked at Luna and Dean with pleading eyes.

"Go!" Harry beseeched them. "Go! We'll follow, just go!"

They took Dobby's outstretched fingers. There was another loud crack and Ron and Harry's cellmates vanished.

"What was that?" Lucius Malfoy shouted from above. Ron looked at Harry with wide eyes. "Did you hear that? What was that noise in the cellar?"

Oh bloody hell.

"Draco – no, call Wormtail! Make him go and check!"

Footsteps crossed the room overhead, then there was silence. Harry knew that the people in the drawing room were listening for more noises from the cellar.

"We're going to have to try and tackle him," Harry whispered to Ron. They had no choice: The moment anyone entered the room and saw the absence of three prisoners, they were lost. "Leave the lights on," Harry added, and as they heard someone descending the steps outside the door, they backed against the wall on either side of it.

"Stand back," came Wormtail's voice. "Stand away from the door. I am coming in."

The door flew open. For a split second Wormtail gazed into the apparently empty cellar, ablaze with light from the three miniature suns floating in midair. Then Harry and Ron launched themselves upon him. Ron seized Wormtail's wand arm and forced it upward, while Harry slapped a hand to his mouth, muffling his voice. Silently they struggled with him, and Wormtail closed his silver hand around Harry's throat. Damn! "What is it, Wormtail?" Double damn!

"Nothing!" Ron called back, trying to imitate Wormtail's wheezy voice. "All fine!" He couldn't tell if Harry was breathing.

"You're going to kill me?" Harry choked, attempting to pull Wormtail's fingers from his throat. "After I saved your life? You owe me, Wormtail!"

Ron wasn't sure if this guilt trip was going to work and silently prayed that it would. He wanted desperately to save Hermione and get out of here with everything intact. He saw the fingers slacken and Harry broke free, but kept his hand over Wormtail's mouth.

Wormtail's eyes widened as if he wasn't quite sure why he had loosened his hand, and he continued to struggle more, as if trying to undo his moment of weakness. Ron sprung into action. "And we'll have that," he whispered, taking Wormtail's wand from his other hand. Pettigrew looked around frantically for a moment, and then his eyes slid down to his hand. His own silver fingers were moving inexorably toward his own throat. He was being strangled before their eyes. "No!" Ron released Wormtail, and together, he and Harry tried to pull the crushing metal fingers from around Wormtail's throat, but it was no use. Pettigrew was turning blue.

As a last ditch effort, Ron said, "Relashio!" pointing the wand at the silver hand, but nothing happened; Pettigrew dropped to his knees, and at the same moment, Hermione gave a dreadful scream from above. Ron looked upward toward the stairs for a split second, and then, as he looked back at Wormtail, saw his eyes roll up into his head. He gave a last twitch, and was still.

Ron and Harry looked at each other, then left Wormtail's body behind them and ran up the stairs and back into the shadowy passageway leading to the drawing room.

Cautiously, they crept along it until they reached the door, which was ajar. Now they had a clear view of the scene. Ron began to block out her voice, trying not to become incensed and rush into the room, just watching the scene. Hermione was lying at her feet, very still, shuddering slightly as she breathed in and out, and then, completely still. Bellatrix touched her finger to the Dark Mark on her arm and Harry shook slightly, taking Ron back into sound. "And I think," Bellatrix said, "We can dispose of the Mudblood." No. "Greyback, take her if you want her."

And in that instant, he lost all control. All thoughts of his safety vanished like Dobby had just minutes ago, and he burst into the drawing room. "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Bellatrix looked around, looking shocked and he took that moment to roar, "Expelliarmus!" providing Harry with Bellatrix's wand. Harry stupefied Lucius and the others shot jets of light at him. Harry threw himself to the floor to avoid them and then, "STOP OR SHE DIES!"

Ron saw Bellatrix holding up Hermione, who seemed to be unconscious, and holding her short silver knife to Hermione's throat. "Drop your wands," she whispered. "Drop them, or we'll see exactly how dirty her blood is!" I stood rigid, trying to decide whether to make a run for it and killing Bellatrix, or following instruction. "I said, drop them!" she screeched, pressing the blade into Hermione's throat; beads of blood began rolling down her neck, and Ron felt his resolve leave him. He dropped the wand at his feet, once again losing sound, watching as Bellatrix talked to others in the room, and then, almost in slow motion, the chandelier directly above Hermione and Bellatrix began to fall. Bellatrix dropped Hermione, and threw herself out of the way. The chandelier crashed to the floor, and Ron heard the explosion of crystal falling on top of Hermione and Griphook.

He ran over to help Hermione, and as he pulled her from the wreckage of the strangely beautiful chandelier, Ron began to see the cuts and bruises all over her. No doubt she had broken ribs, and probably other broken bones as well. Suddenly, he became aware that he didn't feel of hear her breathing. He picked her up and clutched her tightly, holding her to his chest, beginning to break down, and losing everything around him. All that mattered now was Hermione. No! No! She can't…I haven't…we haven't…I need her. I love her and I need her in my life. I couldn't even function right when I left. How am I supposed to live for the rest of my life? Suddenly the world came crashing back to him.

"Ron! Catch – and GO!" He grasped desperately for the wand Harry threw him, and, holding Hermione more tightly to his chest, Apparated to Bill and Fleur's, the world melting away for a completely different reason. He was spinning through a tightening tube, trying to get Hermione out of harm's way. As he landed on the front steps of Shell Cottage, he shifted her awkwardly to one arm and banged loudly on the door, bellowing, "BILL! IT'S YOUR BROTHER, RON! WHEN I WAS FOUR, OUR TWIN BROTHERS, FRED AND GEORGE TURNED MY TEDDY BEAR INTO A SPIDER! NOW LET ME IN!" He felt Hermione slipping, and stopped banging, taking her back into both of his arms.

The door flew open and he met Bill's eyes. He, at first, looked disappointed with Ron, and opened his mouth as if to speak, then his gaze traveled down to Hermione. "What happened?"

"We were attacked. Not sure what's broken or anything. I'm not even sure she's breathing. Help her." Ron found that he couldn't speak well, and he felt his eyes prickling with tears, but held them back. Bill looked confused, but silently took Hermione from him and carried her inside. As Ron followed him through the house, he was in shock. All thought ceased, and his surroundings meant nothing anymore, then he looked at her face. All the memories involving her raced through his mind: the train, the troll, the 3rd floor corridor, the Polyjuice Potion, finding her petrified, her overload of homework, fighting about the bloody sheets, offering to help her with Buckbeak's case, the Shrieking Shack, the World Cup and its aftermath, the Yule Ball, Dumbledore's Army practices, the Ministry of Magic, the Hospital Wing and all the potions she had to take, her inviting him to Slughorn's party, the canaries, waking up to her in the Hospital Wing, learning things with her for the quest for the Horcruxes, dancing with her at Bill and Fleur's wedding, hearing her calling him back as he left, coming back to her anger, trying to win her favor back, and even the last hour, as if his life was flashing before his eyes. As he realized this, that his entire life was she, it scared him more than anything had in his entire life.

Bill opened the door to a room, placing Hermione on the bed, and placed some healing charms on her. Softly, he said, "That should take care of the cuts and bruises. She should be fine." Ron nodded and Bill wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "I'm proud of you, little brother. You went back, and protected her – and Harry. You did good by them."

Ron shook his head and said, "I should have saved her from them." He got down on his knees by her bed, looking at her.

Bill said, "They probably would have killed you."

"It would have been worth it," he said, pushing hair gently out of her face and stroking her hair. He felt Bill pat him on the back, and then heard the door close behind him. The tears that had been gathering in his eyes then spilled over. He cried silently for a moment, and then got up and sat on the edge of her bed. "Please be okay, Hermione. Please. I love you. You have to be okay. Please pull through this." She didn't stir, and he leaned in and kissed her forehead, taking her hand into his own. She stirred slightly, and she breathed, "Ron?"

The tears fell more freely, with relief. "Hermione," he breathed, squeezing her hand slightly. "How are you feeling?"

"My whole body aches, and I feel…so weak," she whispered back.

He wiped his tears away with his other hand, and said, "That filthy bitch really did a number on you, didn't she?"

Hermione breathed a laugh. "Yeah. I guess. I think I now understand how people give information under that curse. It makes every nerve in your body scream out to be relieved. It makes you want to do anything to stop the pain. It was…there aren't words."

"You've got a scar on your neck from where she pressed her knife in." he said, tracing it lightly with his index finger.

Hermione was silent for a few moments. "I don't remember that," she said quietly. "I must have been unconscious. I think I blacked out after that last Cruciatus Curse."

"How did you keep from telling them?"

"I just kept thinking about you and Harry down there, and I knew that if I didn't, then you would be killed too." She slowly opened her eyes and looked into his. "You've been crying." She brought a hand up to his face.

"Just a little."

She closed her eyes again, and said, "Why?"

"I was really worried about you. I missed you terribly when I left, but this was unbearable. When I heard you screaming, being tortured, I thought my heart was going to stop from the pain of it. I care so much about you, Hermione, and I wanted to protect you this year, after we promised to go with Harry, and then I left, and then this. I thought you were going to die. I even saw my life flash before my eyes, and it was all the memories I had with you. You are my life. I mean, people always say life will go on, we'll all live and move on. But that's not possible. How could my life go on when my reason for it is gone?"

Hermione opened her eyes again. "Don't say things like that. Please." She shook her head a little. "I don't you to go and kill yourself if I die, okay?"

He nodded and they sat together silently for a while. He wanted to say so much, to tell her everything, but he wasn't quite sure how to say it. He brought her into his arms, holding her gently, partly to make sure that she was there, alive, and partly because he felt unable to speak. She slowly wrapped her arms around him and pulled him slightly, to let him know that she wished him to lie down next to her. He held her in one arm and softly stroked her cheek with his other hand. She smiled slightly and closed her eyes happily. The two laid there like that for what seemed like eternity, and then a thought struck Ron. "Hermione?"

"Hmmm?" she said, squeezing his hand.

"I…I think I should go check on Harry." He said, sitting up.

"Oh! Of course. Go." He walked over to the door and then turned back, a hand on the doorknob.

"And Hermione?"

"Yeah?"

"I wish I could have protected you tonight."

"It's okay, Ron. You brought me here, you took care of me."

He opened the door slightly. "I'd like to do that the rest of your life," he said. "You know. Protect you." And he then he made his way through the doorway. "I love you." He said it quietly; not quite sure if he wanted to go that far. And then he closed the door behind him and left to find Harry.

Ron found Fleur in the living room, who told him what had happened with Dobby, and the grave. "And 'Arry inseests on digging eet all by 'and."

"I have to go help him. Would you mind watching over Hermione?" he asked Fleur.

"Not at all. I will take care of 'er. There are spades right outside by the door."

"Thanks," he said, seeing Dean at the door. "Are you going to help him, too?" he asked him.

"Yeah. I didn't really know this elf, but he apparently means a lot to Harry," said Dean as they picked up their spades.

"He helped him a lot through the years," Ron said as they walked down to the grave. "With so many things."

Dean didn't seem to have anything to say to that, so we continued down the yard in silence. As they reached Harry, he asked Ron, "How's Hermione?"

"Better," Ron answered. "Fleur's looking after her."

Ron jumped down into the hole with him and started digging with Harry until the hole seemed deep enough. They climbed out and Harry wrapped Dobby more snugly in his jacket. Ron was struck by a sudden thought and sat down on the edge of the grave and stripped off his shoes and socks, which he put on the elf's bare feet.

Then, he stood up and saw Fleur, wearing a large white apron with Skele-Gro in the pocket, helping Hermione down through the yard. She was wearing one of Fleur's dressing gowns, and looking pale, and extremely unsteady on her feet. He didn't know if she would want to talk to him, so he waited until she came to him, stumbling slightly. He wrapped his arm around her, to steady her, and she held him right back, shivering slightly from cold. He rubbed his hand up and down her arm, trying to warm her. He looked into her eyes and saw that tears were gathering and one had spilled over. He wiped it away gently and she smiled sadly at him. "Did you have to take that Skele-Gro?" he whispered.

"Yeah. I found out about Dobby and had to come, but it turned out that one of my legs was broken, and Fleur didn't know the spell, so she gave that to me. I can walk now, but it hurts a little." She tried to put less weight on him and grimaced.

"Don't do that. I'll help you. You've been brave enough for the night." He looked around the yard. "Or rather, the morning." She wrapped her arm around his waist, and put her head on his shoulder. They watched silently as Luna crouched down and tenderly lowered Dobby's eyelids.

"There," she said softly. "Now he could be sleeping."

Harry put Dobby into the grave, arranging his limbs so that he could be resting, and then Luna piped up. "I think we ought to say something. I'll go first shall I?"

Everyone looked at her and she addressed the elf at the bottom of the grave.

"Thank you so much, Dobby, for rescuing me from that cellar. It's so unfair that you had to die, when you were so good and brave. I'll always remember what you did for us. I hope you're happy now."

He felt Hermione crying next to him, and wanted to comfort her, but Luna was now looking expectantly at Ron. He cleared his throat and said, "Yeah…thanks, Dobby."

"Thanks," muttered Dean.

Harry swallowed. "Good-bye, Dobby." Bill raised his wand, and the pile of earth beside the grave rose up into the air and fell neatly upon it, a small, reddish mound.

"D'you mind if I stay here a moment?" Harry asked them.

They all said something to the effect of, "No, go ahead" and Hermione and Ron walked over to him, Hermione patting him on the back. Ron helped her back up to the house, and onto the couch in the corner of the sitting room. She was still crying, more than she had down at the grave, and Ron wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him. "Hey, it's all right." He rubbed her back in soothing circles, trying to calm her down.

"It's just that…well, it could have, should have been me," she sobbed into the front of his shirt. "It could have been any of us."

"I know, love, I know." He said, not letting her go. "I'm just glad it wasn't you."

Slowly, she relaxed in his arms and he pulled her closer to him. She pulled away from his front, so she could look into his eyes, and said, "I'm glad it wasn't you."

"Are you?" She nodded, smiling slightly. "Well, it's good to feel loved."

She was trying to suppress it, but her smile became wider and she started to shake with silent laughter. "Well, it's good you're so lovable."

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said, completely pulling back and withdrawing his arms. "Is this not still the complete arse?"

"You will always be an arse. But…you have your redeeming moments." She inched ever closer to him and he put an arm around her. Quietly, she asked, "Did you mean what you said right before you left? I mean, about loving me?"

He sat for a moment contemplating on what to answer and finally said, simply, "I meant every word. About everything I said up there."

She nodded slowly and said, "I love you, Ron Weasley. More than life itself." She inched closer again and put her head on his shoulder. If she came any closer, she would be in his lap. Ron smiled contentedly and closed his eyes, glad that Hermione, Harry, and himself were alive and well. Then, surprisingly, Hermione pulled away.

He heard a voice say angrily. "What in the bloody hell were you doing?" Ron opened his eyes and saw Bill towering over Hermione and himself, and blocking them from getting up. "Why the hell does Hermione look like she's been tortured? What the hell have you done?"

"I can't tell you, Bill, it's top secret."

Bill became irate at this. "Ron, this isn't fun and games! We aren't playing Auror! This is serious!"

"Which is exactly why we can't tell you," Ron said calmly, despite an extreme urge to yell.

Bill changed tactics. "Aren't you pissed off about what happened to her? Don't you want to kill the bastard who did this to her?" He gestured at Hermione, and Ron looked at her.

"More than you know, but I can't tell you what's been going on."

"Damn it, Ron! People are dying here! Tell me what you've been doing."

Ron simply shook his head, refusing to even speak. Bill breathed out angrily, and walked away, shaking his head as he went. Ron looked at Hermione, who had closed her eyes, and looked extremely peaceful. "Hermione?"

"Hmmmm?"

"I love you."

"Mhm."

"I always will."

"I know." Then, she sighed, and sat up, opening her eyes. "Ron?"

"Yeah?"

"I need to use the bathroom." He breathed a laugh and put his arm around Hermione's waist, lifting them up off the couch. "Thanks."

"No problem. Are you feeling any better?"

"Yeah, I suppose. I'm walking better at least," she said, as she limped slightly through the sitting room.

He led her through to the bathroom, and said, before he even thought. "Call if you need me."

She, to his great relief, smiled and said, "I'll be sure to do that."

He waited outside the door and heard Harry come into the sitting room. Bill and Harry were discussing talking to Griphook and Ollivander. Bill refused to let him, but Harry insisted, saying he'd wash off and then see them. After a minute or two, Harry came back into the room, and Bill began to argue. At that moment, Hermione came out and Ron immediately turned and put a finger to his lips while wrapping an arm around her waist to help her to the door to the sitting room. Silently, they watched as Bill asked Harry what had been going on. Harry sounded almost bored as he answered that he wouldn't answer. Then as Bill conceded to Harry's request, Harry noticed them in the doorway, and silently Ron extracted his hand from Hermione's waist, and they looked at each other, agreeing with their eyes not to tell Harry. They stepped into the light and Ron couldn't help but feel a sense of hope that, with talking to Griphook and Ollivander, they might be getting somewhere.

Harry smiled at Hermione. "You were amazing – coming up with a story when she was hurting you like that –"

At this, Ron wrapped an arm around her, knowing that he would probably not be able to do it for a long while, and decided that, no matter what happened, he would never leave her side.

A/N: Okay, all together. "Awwww…" Yes…I love him, too. Even if he is an insufferable prat and a complete arse.