Disclaimer: Do not own any of the Harry Potter Universe nor Josh Groban or any of his songs or lyrics. (Though wouldn't it be nice if I did?)
A/n: Ok, so I had this story up a while ago, WITH the lyrics to Josh Groban's song, "Remember When it Rained". However, it was pulled off of for having lyrics that are not mine, so here it is again, WITHOUT the lyrics, though it seriosuly takes away from the story. Where a few lines of lyrics are supposed to be, I put a number in brackets. The number is how many lins of the song belong there. Sorry if this messes it up or anything (just skip the #'s if it bothers you). Anyone wishing to read the good version, with the lyrics, just e-mail me and make the title somethinng about fanfiction or this story so it doesn't get deleted.
If you have the song, try listening to it before/during/after you read this. If you don't have the song, ah well.
This is one of my stories that I've written that I actually kind of like. Hope you do too. Do not hesitate to leave me a review.
Ron stared down at the wet ground, not really seeing anything. He couldn't see the green grass, or the fresh dirt. It was just there, and his eyes were taking it in, but his brain was not processing the information. He was too cold and numb to know anything.
He vaguely felt a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry." The someone said, and then the hand lifted. More hands passed his shoulder. Some came with comments, some were just a sympathetic silence. He didn't know how long that went on, and knew even les when it had stopped.
One hand in particular lingered. "C'mon mate." The person said softly.
Ron tore his eyes from the ground and looked to his right, mouth closed, eyes slightly wide, and half-full of tears. The bottom half of his vision was blurred, but he could still see whose hand was on his shoulder.
"Harry…" Ron croaked and gestured toward the fresh dirt.
Harry nodded. "I know mate. I know."
Ron swallowed and turned back to the grass and dirt before him.
"C'mon…" Harry gently prodded. "You've been standing here for hours. Its over, Ron. The funeral is over. People have gone home." He put a very slight force on Ron's shoulder, encouraging him to walk away with him.
Ron flipped Harry's hand off his shoulder. "Let me be." He said, his voice raspy.
"R-ron…" Ginny, standing next to Harry, stammered. "Ron, please come home."
Ron didn't respond or acknowledge she had talked.
Ginny sighed heavily and her lip quivered. Harry glanced down at her. "Let's go."
"But Harry, you said he can't be – "
"I know." Harry quietly cut her off. "He can't be left alone. But we will go." Confused, Ginny followed Harry anyways, away from Ron, up the grassy hill towards the one remaining car parked nearby.
Slowly, it began to rain again. Light at first, then a little harder. It sounded peaceful against the grass. But Ron felt anything but peace.
(4)
"Why'd you have to go?" Ron whispered, and knelt down. The tears were running down his cheeks, mixing with the rain. He had no concept of time. He could have already been there for hours for all he knew. "Why…."
He swallowed and ran his fingers over the cool marble. The engravings were fresh, just like the dirt beneath his knees. A part of the words on the marble read,
"Hermione Granger, loving person to all, and beloved fiancé…."
Ron read that line over and put his head in his hands. How could this be happening? How was he going to live? How could he ever go on from this?
(5)
Ron turned his face up to the sky. "WHY'D YOU GO, HERMIONE?" he yelled. "WHY'D YOU LEAVE ME LIKE THIS?" he sobbed aloud. "You know I'm not strong enough…. Hermione, I love you!"
He wrapped his arms around the tombstone, wishing with all his mind, body and soul that he could turn back time. He would've seen it coming… he could've stopped it….
He could remember it clearly. They were there – they were all there: Luna, Harry, Cho, Ginny, Neville, Dean, Seamus, Parvati, Hermione, Fred, George, Angelina, Katie, Alicia, Oliver, and himself. And then there were them – all of them: Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Wormtail, Cutter, Cushing, Manderson, Alexander, Bellatrix, and worst of all, Voldemort.
They were fighting their hearts out – winning, even, said some. He'd been right beside her the entire time. Never leaving her for fear something would happen. She had just agreed to marry him only days before. Her beautiful ring that he'd got for her sparkled brightly whenever she waved her wand.
One curse – that was all it took. He turned to shoot at Bellatrix, praying he'd hit her and it'd be pay back for Sirius. He'd hit, and then turned back to tell her gleefully that Bellatrix was gone. And she'd been laying there. Pale as snow, mouth open, frozen in time. Malfoy laughed loudly, his evil son at his side.
A rage like never before pulsed through him at their cursed laughter, but it was nothing compared to the sadness he felt. It overpowered him, and he dropped beside her, cradled her in his arms and screamed for help. He had received help immediately, and they got him and her out the building otherwise unscathed.
But as soon as they Apparated to the hospital – even before that – he knew. She was long gone. He never even got to say goodbye.
(4)
Ron let go of the increasingly wet marble and glanced around, almost hoping she would be standing there, ready to greet him, tell him she was ok, and that it had been a silly mix-up.
But of course, she wasn't. The tears were still coming. Ron choked on them, feeling so deeply hurt and sad he couldn't even imagine how anything could hurt more. He loved her with everything he had, and she had been taken from him.
He tried to remember their first kiss… it had been in the rain. How ironic he was here now, grieving in the rain.
It was just after their sixth year had started. They met outside, quite by accident. But he had been looking for her – he had to tell her something – and she was looking for him – she had something to tell him. And they'd been awkward, but feeling the same inside without knowing it. Their brush with death in the Department of Mysteries in their fifth was what really prompted their sudden expression of feelings, though neither cared to admit it.
He'd swallowed and kicked the ground, and it began to rain. She'd ask if he'd wanted to go inside, but he said no, because he knew he was going to lose his nerve if he waited one more minute. He'd blurted right out that he had liked her more and more each day, couldn't hold inside anymore and she was free to be angry or shocked or laugh at him.
She hadn't done any of the above. She'd merely smiled the biggest smile he'd ever seen her smile, and said, "Really?"
He'd nodded.
"Me too."
Her answer had stunned him, and then they kissed. Just like that, with the rain coming down all around.
(5)
Ron suddenly stood and looked down towards the lake, and the small dock that lead out into the chilly, rain rippled water. He shivered, and he suddenly felt strange.
"I want to be with you." He whispered, and started sprinting towards the Lake.
In the car at the top of the hill, Ginny half-smiled. "Ya, that was a good time." Her eyes wandered first to the clock – they'd been there another hour and a half since they'd last talked to Ron – they to the gravestone Ron was kneeling at. Except that he wasn't kneeling anymore. He was running.
"Harry – " she said, and there was no missing the mild panic in her voice.
Harry turned in his seat and looked out the window. "Oh gosh – I knew it." He threw open the door and jumped out of the car. "Ron!" he called and took off after Ron. "Ron, no!"
(3)
Ron could here someone calling him, but he didn't stop. He kept running, getting closer to the Lake. He ran onto the dock, and tried to stop. What wa she doing?
But he was moving to fast to just stop within six inches of the edge of the dock. His feet slid on its wet surface, he moved sideways to correct his balance, and only made his fall worse. His body went kind of sideways, and he tried to grab onto the edge of the dock, but his head hit the edge with a sickening thud.
He fell into the water, and wasn't sure if he was conscious or not.
(3)
He was drifting, he could feel that…
And then he saw her – in the water. 'Hermione…'
She reached out to him, and touched his hand. 'Ron…'
'I love you.' He thought – or did he say it?
'Go on. Please go on, in my memory.'
'But…'
'Be happy about the time we had. Don't grieve about the time lost… I love you more than life itself, Ron Weasley. And don't you forget it.'
Running down…
Ron was yanked to the surface. He gasped wildly for air and thrashed his arms. Someone pulled him up onto the dock.
"What the heck do you think you're doing?" Harry's angry voice said.
Ron blinked through the water on his face and realized he rain was subsiding significantly. He coughed and choked on the water in his mouth and chest. "I…" he had nothing to say.
Harry sighed.
"I saw her mate."
Harry shook his head, still slightly angry. "You couldn't have."
"I did. She told me to go on. Go on, for her. And I will."
Harry helped Ron up, and wasn't about to argue. "That'd be Hermione." He said, and lightly patted Ron's back.
The rain stopped, and already the clouds began to part. Ron imagined Hermione herself opening the clouds as a symbol for Ron. He looked up to the sky, and whispered, "I love you, Hermione."
Running down…
A/n: Well? Please, even if you merely glanced at it, let me know. I don't care who you are, leave me a review, it so totally makes my day. BTW, for anyone who actually listened to the song before/during/after they read this: thepart where Ron breaks the surface (Harry pulling him out of the water) is when Josh goes "AAAAAOOOO..." just after the quiet piano-ish part and the music picks up. You listen to the song, you know what I mean.
And once again I apologize about the #'s, but the lyrics in the original were supposed to seperate the sections nicely (with the song's words helping along my story). Again, if you want the good version, don't hesitate to e-mail me.