A/N: Part three in my new series of missing moments from Deathly Hallows. How Ron got his sling after they very narrowly escaped the Ministry. Won't exactly make sense until you've read Palm to Palm is Holy Palmers' Kiss.
"The Polyjuice Potion was wearing off now: Ron was halfway between Cattermole and himself in appearance, his hair turning redder and redder as his face drained of the little colour it had left.
'What's happened to him?'
'Splinched,' said Hermione, her fingers already busy at Ron's sleeve, where the blood was wettest and darkest.
...Harry wrenched the stopper off the little bottle, Hermione took it and poured three drops of the potion on the bleeding wound. Greenish smoke billowed upwards and when it had cleared, Harry saw that the bleeding had stopped. The wound now looked several days old; new skin stretched over had just been open flesh." (DH, pg 221 - 222, UK edition)
All That Matters
Hermione thought over everything until Harry's hand fell on her shoulder.
'It's ten o'clock,' he murmured. 'Time to switch.'
Hermione nodded and stood, walking back into the tent. Ron was sitting at the table, nursing a fresh cup of tea. She gave him a small smile.
'Hey,' she whispered.
Ron looked up and grinned at her.
'Hey,' he whispered back. He pointed to another cup. 'Tea for you.'
Hermione smiled and walked over to the table. She sat down across from Ron and pulled the cup toward her, wrapping her chilled fingers around it. She shivered slightly and sighed.
'Thanks. How's your arm?' she asked quietly, looking up at him.
Ron gave a one-shouldered shrug.
'It's getting better. Still hurts like a motherf-'
'Ron!'
Ron grinned.
'Well, it hurts,' he said.
Hermione let out a small laugh and took a sip of her tea. She could feel the heat of the liquid as it travelled down her throat and landed warmly in her stomach. It seemed to spread throughout her entire body and she gave a relaxed sigh.
'I'm sorry,' she murmured, looking at the table.
'What for?'
'Splinching you,' she replied quietly. 'It's my fault you're like this. My fault that we don't have a house to stay in, beds to sleep in, food to eat. My fault that -'
'Hey,' said Ron. 'Stop it.'
Hermione looked up at him and he held her gaze.
'Stop what?' she asked.
'Stop blaming yourself for this,' he said. 'Yeah, OK, I'm in pain. And yeah, we don't have a house to go to. But we're alive. And we have you to thank for that.'
Hermione gave Ron a weak smile and he stood, walking to the chair beside her and pulling it out, dragging it closer to her. He sat down and placed his uninjured hand on her knee. Hermione felt shockwaves erupt under her skin and she attempted to control the sudden shivering of her leg. Instead, she looked at Ron, whose eyes had softened and whose expression held nothing but care.
'If I had Disapparated just a few seconds earlier -'
'Stop,' Ron murmured. 'It's the fact that you even thought of Disapparating that saved us today. People panic when they're under stress and in danger. You kept your head and got us out of there. You have to stop blaming yourself!'
Hermione swallowed and looked at Ron's battered arm.
'You should put that in a sling,' she whispered, gently running her fingers over it.
Ron winced a little and nodded.
'I should, but I don't know the spell,' he said.
Hermione looked at him again and he gave her a small smile. She smiled back and continued to run her fingers over his arm, her thumb gently caressing the newly grown flesh.
'I could wrap it up for you,' she murmured.
Ron nodded.
'I'd appreciate it,' he murmured back.
Hermione looked up at him again and realized that their faces were somehow closer than they were before and vaguely wondered if she had moved closer to him, if he had moved closer to her, or if they had both moved a little. Finally deciding that it really didn't matter, Hermione moved her head closer just a bit more. Ron swallowed rather noticibly and he moved his head as well. Hermione could feel his breath dancing across her cheeks, and her stomach flopped around a bit. Ron moved even closer and Hermione's heart started to race as she realized what he was planning to do. She lent closer just a bit and --
BAM!
Hermione yanked her head away at the noise, feeling as her cheeks flared up.
'Sorry! Nothing to worry about! Just a rabbit. Thought it was something else,' Harry called from outside.
Hermione looked over at Ron, who was grumbling under his breath about something. She cleared her throat and stood.
'Your sling,' she said quietly.
Pulling out her beaded bag, Hermione searched through it and finally found an old cloth near the bottom. Realizing it was her old school blouse, she tore it up and knotted the pieces together as she walked back to Ron. He watched her sit down and she looked at him again.
'I'm sorry if it hurts,' she whispered.
Ron shook his head.
'Don't be. You're helping,' he said gently.
Hermione smiled at him and adjusted her chair so she was sitting directly in front of him instead of beside him.
'I need you to let me set your arm,' she said.
Ron nodded.
'OK,' he said quietly.
Hermione gave him a small smile before reaching forward and delicately placing his arm so the sling would work. She then took the torn up and knotted blouse and laced it under his forearm, bringing it up and standing so she could knot it behind his neck. She lent a little too close so her stomach was near his face and she could feel his breath through her thin shirt. She shivered slightly and her fingers slipped a little on the knot she was trying to tie. She finally managed to get it tied and sat back down. Ron shifted his arm a little and then grinned at her.
'Thanks,' he said.
Hermione smiled back.
'Not a problem,' she murmured.
'I was thinking that we could talk about what happened that first night. In Grimmauld Place. After Bill's wedding. Well, actually, during,' said Ron.
Hermione bit her lip but nodded.
'All right,' she murmured.
'I just want to know where we stand.'
'I don't know, Ron.'
'Well, how about right now we stand as more than friends, but with our admittedly complicated relationship,' Hermione giggled, 'on hold,' said Ron.
Hermione's giggling ceased at once and she looked at him.
'And when would we stop being on hold?' she asked quietly.
'When we're free to live our lives again.'
'And we would be more than friends?'
'If that's what you wanted.'
Hermione turned to him and opened her mouth to answer.
'Who was the thief, Gregorovitch?'
Hermione jumped to her feet.
'Harry,' she breathed.
'Go,' said Ron quickly.
Hermione raced to the entrance of the tent.
'Harry!'
'...please. PLEASE!'
'HARRY!'
Harry's eyes flew open and Hermione watched as he sat back up and looked up at her.
'Dream,' he said. 'Must've dozed off, sorry.'
'I know it was your scar! I can tell by the look on your face! You were looking into Vol -'
'Don't say the name!' Ron roared.
'Fine,' Hermione shot back. 'You-Know-Who's mind, then!'
'I didn't mean it to happen!' said Harry. 'It was a dream! Can you control what you dream about, Hermione?'
Hermione was tempted to say that she normally enjoyed her dreams because majority of them featured Ron, but she snapped back instead, mostly because Harry had prevented her from learning just where it was she and Ron stood.
'If you just learned to apply Occlumency -'
'He's found Gregorovitch, Hermione, and I think he's killed him, but before he killed him, he read Gregorovitch's mind and I saw -'
'I think I'd better take over the watch if you're so tired you're falling asleep,' said Hermione, cutting across Harry.
'I can finish the watch!'
'No, you're obviously exhausted. Go and lie down.'
Hermione then sat down in front of the tent with her wand out. Harry went inside and Hermione looked up, staring at the stars. She could hear Harry and Ron talking, but couldn't hear what about.
Probably Harry's dream, Hermione thought.
They fell silent a few minutes later and Hermione soon heard Ron's snores and she smiled slightly, feeling her anger at Harry for interrupting her and Ron start to disappear and soon she realized that Ron was right; they were alive and right now, that was all that mattered.
Fin