Story Title: The Softer Side Couple/s: Ron/Hermione and Harry/ Ginny Time: When Ron returns in Deathly Hallows Inspiration: Fall to Pieces by Avril Lavigne
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this fanfiction.
Ron looked at her with shame and sorrow in his eyes.
She turned away, mumbling a few words as an excuse to leave the tent.
Harry stared at the ground as she walked out of their make-shift shelter. He did not know what to do. Should he comfort Ron, the man he considered his brother, or should he try to reason with Hermione, the woman he considered his sister?
Eventually, Harry rose from his wooden chair and followed Hermione out of the tent. He sent a sympathetic smile to Ron who sat numb in his seat thinking of the bushy haired girl.
"Hermione," Harry called out, his voice soft from emotion and slight worry.
He heard no reply, though from the way Hermione had been avoiding both he and Ron that did not mean she had not heard him.
He walked a little farther to find her with her arms crossed stubbornly with her back to him; he moved to her left side to see that her mouth in a hard line and her eyes piercing through the object before her.
"I do not want to talk about it," she said in a firm and monotone voice. Her voice broke slightly on the word 'talk' and that one fault was flooded with many emotions. Hurt. Anger. Betrayal. And something Harry could not place.
"Hermione," he sighed exasperatedly. This was only hurting both her and Ron, that made it hurt Harry also. "You can't ignore him forever."
Her arms uncrossed ash she angrily pulled on her hair. "I know that." She groaned out. "I know I'm acting childish. I know I'm not even giving him a chance. I know I should talk to him but… I'll fall to pieces again Harry. I can't do that with our situation."
Harry's hands clenched into fists. He hated how he dragged them into this, though he knew neither one of them would for a second blame him. He knew he did not ask for this, but he knew he would rather try to do it alone and die rather than have everyone close to him torture themselves. First it was Sirius, and then it was Ginny, now even Ron and Hermione were feeling the wrath of being the Boy-Who-Lived's best friends.
Harry put a comforting hand on her shoulder, surprised that she didn't jerk away from the touch.
Hermione had been very distant, not only from Harry but from Ron as well. She had very little human contact, which was starting to affect her. So Harry simply gesture meant more to her at that moment than any spell he could have performed to try and make her smile.
"Just talk to him." Was Harry's simple and logical response.
She shook her head, slowly dismissing the idea. "Harry, it's…different now." She whispered. "We aren't at Hogwarts where we have people to protect us. We aren't at the Burrow. We aren't in the Room of Requirements where we have all of Dumbledore's army to back us up. It's just us…" She whispered. "And I'm worried that we won't even have that in a while."
"Hermione," Harry started firmly. His hand on her shoulder tightening its grip. "It will always be you, Ron, and I. "
Hermione looked at the ground for a moment.
"Once the brightest witch of our age said something to me when I said I wanted to do it alone," He said tilting his head down to look at his sister in every way but blood. "Do you remember?"
Hermione smiled softly as she quoted her words from before. " 'Harry, when will you get it through your head? We're in this… together.' "
Harry smiled at the fact that she remembered and that she was most likely building faith in their friendship.
"Besides, he has to be feeling as bad as you are, if not worse." He whispered seriously as his thought drifted to Ginny. Even though he had tried to protect her she was still being hurt at Hogwarts, maybe if he hadn't met her she would be safe.
"How?" She questioned, turning to face him as Harry's hand dropped from her shoulder. "How can he feel this bad?"
Tears were threatening to spill from her eyes.
"He has to watch you," Harry whispered, not sure if he was speaking in Ron's point of view to Hermione or trying to understand how he was feeling about Ginny. "He has to watch you hurt every day and knows he's the cause of it."
Hermione stayed silent for a moment.
"Ginny doesn't blame you," she spoke in a comforting voice, catching Harry by surprise with the sudden change in conversation. Though he shouldn't have been surprised, she wasn't the brightest witch of their age for nothing. "She knew what she was getting into, but she cares enough to go through it."
Harry took on Hermione's previous silence.
"Ron hates himself for leaving," There was a moment where only the wind was heard. "Mostly for leaving you."
Hermione took a deep breath and walked away from Harry, after whispering a painfully honest "Thank you," to him.
She walked through that bushes and braches before walking calmly into the tent.
"Ron," she called as she walked into the tent with her arms down and tears in her eyes.
Ron turned his head, a hopeful smile and a light in his eyes that Hermione had not seen in what felt like forever.
It had honestly been the most beautiful thing she had seen ad felt in months.
"I missed you," she admitted as she sat next to him and placed her head on his shoulder with a sigh of relief at the contact.
He smiled and leaned his head on top of hers, the feeling of forgiveness washing of him. The feeling of her next to him, that was what he had missed and dreamed of every day and night he was gone.
"I missed you too, 'Mione."