It was dark and damp down in the forbidden chamber. Their wands were lit, giving off a thin beam of wavering light that seemed to keep time to their pounding hearts. The feeble light wasn't nearly enough but it had to do.
Their harsh breathing and feet slapping on the damp, puddled floor of the narrow tunnel was the only sound to be heard and it echoed eerily off the walls.
Though neither would admit it; they were terrified. Everything rode on this night; their lives, Harry's life, the lives of their friends and families and some have said the lives of the entire wizarding community!
So with so much at stake why couldn't they stop thinking about the person running next to them??
Hermione's P.O.V.
We can't have been down here for that long but it feels like an eternity.
Her feet were pounding onto the rough stone floor, her heart was thundering erratically in her chest, as though to burst out. She was panting heavily and Ron was well ahead of her sprinting on. Well, he did have much longer legs! He would stop to turn back every few minutes making sure she was ok and encouraging her to keep going.
Suddenly, wrapped up in her thoughts as she was, it seemed as though she had caught up to him and then passed him out! It took her a second to realise she had, but he had stopped running!
"Ron?" she asked, worried. He was just standing there, staring at a large pile of rocks separating them from a rather large (and rather disgusting) snakeskin. Hermione pointed her wand right into his face, illuminating it. He was as white as a sheet, his blue eyes wide with some realisation.
"Ron?!" she ran back to him, "What's wrong? Ron!" Putting her hands up onto the sides of his face she tried to make him look at her. His eyes slowly followed the direction his head was going in and he began to focus on her.
Her hazel eyes bored into his anxiously, her mouth was a taught line of worry and it was this more than anything brought him back. He attempted to smile and took her hands from his face to hold them in his own.
"It's nothing." He said to her, trying to sound reassuring, but failing miserably. She gave him that look that told him she knew he was lying and that he had better start telling the truth. He had seen it many times over the years.
He gave a small sad chuckle and said; "It's just that the last time I was here," her eyes widened as she understood immediately "well, the last time I was here I thought Ginny was dead and this is as far as I got because that prat of a teacher Lockheart tried to get my wand to actually do something! Well he caused a cave-in and separated Harry and me. From here on in, I have no idea what to do."
She nodded and laced her fingers through his, giving his hand a gentle, sympathetic squeeze. Looking up at him she said;
"Well, Ginny is alive, for now, but she mightn't be for much longer, Ron, if we don't get these Basalisk fangs to destroy the Horcruxes! From now on we'll just have to figure it out together. Now come on, there isn't much time!"
Ron nodded his head with fresh determination and grasped her hand firmly. Together they moved forward down the winding tunnel.
Hermione cast a sideways glance at her best friend. She had been so hurt and lost for that time without him and she didn't know what she'd do if he left her life permanently.
Looking at him now she could see how he had changed; from being the awkward, kind-hearted, quick-tempered boy, who ran at the sight of a spider to the tall, gangly, powerful young man beside her, hunting for a giant snake to help defeat the most dangerous wizard of all time.
She could see it in his eyes as he turned to look at her how proud he was to fight, but not just for any cause; for freedom; freedom from the tyrannous regime under the most evil beings to have ever walked the earth.
Hermione felt her heart swell in pride and...love...looking at him now. He was everything to her, her best friend, her rock to return to when she was lost or upset. Did he know that? She wondered. Would he ever know that? Yes! Yes he would because she was going to tell him and you know what they say; there's no time like the present!
"Ron!" her heart was beating wildly in her chest, a smile was forming on her face and she even began to feel a little dizzy! Her voice quavered a bit as she was about to form three of the most important words she would ever utter!
He turned to look at her. "Hermione I know. I'm not blind!" he had a smile on his face and her stomach lurched. He knew? But how did he know? She had only just figured it out herself!
"Look it's right over there, impossible to miss!" Ron raised his arm to point at something at the end of the tunnel. "God, he was an ugly bast-er....I mean creature, wasn't he!" he shot her a furtive look as he nearly slipped up and pointed at the ravaged corpse of the giant snake.
Fabulous timing as usual Ron! She thought as his words and the sight of the enormous mangled face of the Basilisk burst her epiphany and deflated her mood.
"Ewwww, Ron that is disgusting! So how exactly are you planning on getting the fangs out of the skull? Apart from physically cutting or pulling them out, I know no spell for fang removal." She looked at him with a raised eyebrow and he almost laughed at her, but knew better than to at this stage!
"You think too much Hermione!" and he turned to face the snake, raised his wand and cried "ACCIO FANGS!" The huge skull began to shake and vibrate. Suddenly with a horrendous ripping sound and a cacophony of breaking bones; the teeth were ripped out of the snake's head.
Hermione involuntarily put a hand up to her own mouth in a horrified gesture.
"Never. Ever, do that again." She said slowly, still from behind her hand.
Ron just turned to her grinning and holding an armful of the things. Handing some to the still disgusted Hermione, he laughed at her expression and they began to make their way back up the way they had come.
All Hermione could do was shake her head as she followed him. Thinking that maybe a dank tunnel, miles under the Hogwarts grounds, covered in grime and carrying old snake teeth while there was a battle going on, wasn't the best time or place to go around shouting out declarations of love and devotion. It could wait; At least this way there will be a bit of good news whatever way it turns out tonight!
The way back seemed much shorter than the trip down. Before she knew it they had ascended the slid-like tunnel into Myrtle's bathroom and they were watching the sinks slide back into place with a horrendous scraping noise from lack of use. However once that noise had stopped the sounds of war could be heard distinctly through the doors. Spells were whizzing through the air, ornaments and suits of armour were being knocked over and they hit the ground with a clamorous clash of metal and stone. People cried out in pain or surprise as they themselves were hit.
Suddenly it all came down on Hermione as it never had before; they were at war, they were seriously outnumbered and they could lose! Just because they were on the side of good did not ensure that any of them would survive the night! Before, it hadn't really hit her that they could lose, not like this, because they were on the right side and good always triumphed over evil! But what if it didn't? What if they lost? What if they died?! No! She was young and full of life! There was so much that she wanted to do! She wasn't prepared to die!
In that moment it all became too much for Hermione Granger. The fangs dropped from her grasp and she felt herself let out a choked sob.
Startled, Ron whirled around to see what had happened. He was met with fearful, tear-filled hazel eyes that held a hundred questions and fears. Her face was tight and panicky and it filled him with fear.
"Hermione?" he asked cautiously, "Hermione what's wrong? What happened?"
As she looked into his concerned blue eyes there were a million things she wanted to say but in the end all she said was;
"I'm so afraid Ron, I don't want to die." Her voice broke on the last word and she lost control of her tears as they flooded down her face.
Ron's heart broke for her and because he couldn't do anything to protect her from what was to come. He just dropped the fangs onto the flooded floor of Moaning Myrtle's toilet and in two quick strides had her enveloped in a rough bear hug against him. She cried and clung desperately, unashamedly to him.
"You're not going to die Hermione! I won't let anything happen to you! I'm too selfish, because if anything happened to you I'd actually have to start doing my own homework!" he whispered determinedly in her ear. She gave a strangled laugh and pulled away from him slightly. Wiping her eyes she looked up at him and her eyes told him all that she hadn't gotten to tell him back in the tunnel.
She took his breath away and he thought that; covered with grime from the journey through the chamber, old flecks of basilisk blood and with tears running stubbornly down her face but still that defiant look in her eye, she had never looked so beautiful!
The sounds of the ferocious battle once again filled the air and swirled around inside Hermione's head. Now! She shouted at herself Tell him now because if you don't you might not get another chance!
Ron was giving her another squeeze and then he moved away, "Come on lets go. They need us." He was turning away from her. Now, fool! Do it now! Her head screamed.
"Ron!" her voice sounded strained and panicky even to her own ears "Ron I have to tell you, I'm in love with y-"
"No!" he shouted angrily "No!" he strode ferociously over to her again and grasped her shoulders "Don't say it! If you're saying it now then you think we won't make it through tonight but we will Hermione! We will!" He looked intensely down into her frightened eyes.
He was towering above her; blue eyes furious and determined but she knew him well enough to see past his facade to his elation and barely contained love.
Without thinking, she reached up and flung her arms around his neck, pulling herself as close to him as possible. Almost before her hands were clasped, his arms were around her pulling her to him with desperation. Their faces were pressed into the other's neck, breathing in the scent of the other and trying to memorise it before they went out into the battle.
"Ok," she said softly, "Ok, later then. Later."
He squeezed her tighter and then released her, looking deep into her eyes.
"Yes, later."
And with that he bent over and began to pick up the discarded fangs. He held out his hand to her and together they made their way to the door of the toilet. They took a deep breath, opened the door and stepped out into the utter chaos that is war to find their best friend and to save the world; such is the noble calling of our heroes.
Knowing however, that if they had to, they would do it all again. No regrets.