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Written for;

The Fanfiction Marathon - RonHermione

Prompt Relay - Setting - St'Mungos

Every Letter - R out of Hermione.

Too Good For Me

Ron paced outside her room, glancing at the door with each pass-by. She'd been in there for close to an hour and the Healers wouldn't tell him what was going on. They wouldn't even tell him if she was alive. Before he could delve to deep into that thought, he was interrupted from his pacing when Harry skidded around the corner, stopping short at the look on Ron's face. Ginny arrived moments later, breathless from trying to keep up with Harry.

"Any news?" Harry asked, embracing Ron tightly.

Ron shook his head, before he rested it against Harry's shoulder for a moment. Pulling back, he whispered, "I can't... I can't lose her, Harry."

Shaking his head firmly, Harry replied, "You won't. She's a fighter. She's going to be fine."

The door opened before Ron could reply and the three of them turned as one to face the Healer who was standing in the doorway to Hermione's room.

"She's in a coma. We've healed as much as we can, it's up to her now," he told them quietly.

"What are her chances, I mean, uh, what are the odds that she'll make a full recovery," Ron choked out.

"We'll know more when... if she wakes up. If she wakes up within twenty four hours, I'm confident she'll be fine. After that, I can't really say."

"Can we see her?" Harry asked quietly.

"One at a time please," the healer requested before leaving them alone once more.

Ron hesitated but Harry pushed him forward slightly. "Go on, mate. Come and... Come and tell us when she wakes up. We'll be here."

"Thanks," Ron murmured as Harry conjured two comfy chairs for himself and Ginny directly outside the door. Taking a deep breath, Ron pushed open the door and entered the room.

xxxx

"Hermione, you gotta wake up," he begged. He'd been sitting in the room with her for almost seven hours and she hadn't so much as twitched. "I don't know what I'd do without you, I don't even know who I am without you."

He'd tried to talk to her a few times, but every time he tried, his chest tightened with emotion, making it hard to breathe. He didn't know what he could say anyway, he'd never been good with words. He'd proved that when he proposed to her.

"Do you remember the day I proposed? Merlin, I was a nervous wreck. Harry didn't let me forget it for months after..."

Ron wiped his sweaty palms on his robe nervously, glancing around the room. Why had he thought that doing this in public was a good idea again? Ah, Harry. That was it. It was all his fault.

He watched her from across the room. She was so beautiful, and she looked stunning in her floaty dress. It was a pretty shade of blue, he'd always liked it when she wore blue. Her hair was down, framing her face, and she she laughed at something Ginny said, he fell in love with her all over again.

Midnight was fast approaching, and it felt like they'd only been there for half an hour when George led off with the countdown. He moved in her direction, and it seemed like she'd had the same idea, because she was coming towards him with a smile on her face. She reached him when the countdown got to three, and as the clock struck midnight, they shared a sweet kiss.

All around them, family and friends wished each other a Happy New Year, but all he could see was her sparkling eyes, her wide smile, her beautiful face. Pulling the box from his pocket, he opened it in front of her.

"Hermione, I know you don't want to get married yet, and I'm fine with that, but I also want everyone in the world to know that you belong to me and I belong to you. We can stay engaged as long as you want, but will you, some day, marry me?"

She laughed. She actually laughed, and he felt his ears burn with embarrassment. He was already closing the box when she laid a hand over his.

"Of course I'll marry you, silly sod."

"...I've never felt as much relief as I did when you said yes, you know? I thought you were going to tell me to bugger off. You've always been too good for me."

A few stray tears fell from his eyes, splashing onto her hand which he was currently holding between both of his. As they landed on her pale skin, she squeezed his hand.

"Hermione? Hermione!"

When she didn't repeat the movement, he sighed in disappointment, half believing it was wishful thinking that he'd felt her move. The seconds ticked by slowly, but faster than Ron was happy with. For every second that passed them by that she didn't wake up, the chances of a full recovery were getting slimmer and slimmer.

xxxx

"Usually, it's me lying in the bed with you sitting beside me," Ron said after a while. "I guess now I understand why you ream me out so bad when I get landed in here. I swear, my hair must be going grey by the second. Do you remember the prank you played on me the last time? If I'd not thought George had a bad influence on you before, I did after that. You scared the life out of me..."

Ron woke up slowly, blinking at the white ceiling of St Mungo's. He always knew when he was in the hospital, because the walls had no colour to them whatsoever. He wondered briefly how long he'd been out for this time, before dismissing the thought. It would only be days, max. He'd never done enough damage for it to be any more than that.

Looking to his left, he saw a little old lady sitting beside him, knitting. Her hair was held up in a bun with two spare knitting needles, and he frowned slightly. She seemed to feel his gaze, because she looked up at him, meeting his eyes with her own.

Even though he didn't recognise the face or the hair, he would never be able to mistake those eyes.

"Hermione?"

"Ron! They said you'd finally be able to wake up today! It's so good to see you open your eyes."

"Erm... Hermione? What happened to you?" he asked, feeling somewhat awkward as he gestured to her hair, and the knitting in her hands.

"Oh, this dear. Old age. Still, you can't say I'm not looking good for my age!"

She chuckled at her own words, while he frowned. Old age? They were twenty four!

"Harry'll be in shortly to see you. I told him they were waking you up today," she continued, seemingly oblivious to his confusion.

Before he could ask what the bloody hell was going on, the door opened, and an old man hobbled into the room on a walking stick. Black hair, green eyes, an unmistakable lightning bolt scar on his head.

"What the bloody hell is going on here? How did you too get so old? We're twenty four for Merlin's sake!" Ron burst out before Harry could speak.

"Oh deary, that was how old we were when you were cursed, love. That was a long time ago. They've only just found the cure, you see, you've been in a magically induced coma."

"Long... coma... what?" he asked, looking between them both.

"Seventy three years, dear," Hermione confirmed with a nod.

His mouth fell open as he stared at her. "Seventy... but..."

His confusion only deepened when Harry suddenly burst into laughter, tears falling down his cheeks as he clutched at his side with one hand, clinging to the bed to keep himself upright with the other. Ron looked back at Hermione to find her eyes twinkling with amusement as she took out her wand, and waving it first over Harry then herself, she turned them back into their twenty four years young selves.

"...That was the best prank you've ever played."

He felt her squeeze his hand again, this time longer and harder.

"That's it baby, come on, open your eyes," he said frantically, leaning over the bed slightly. Her eyes were twitching as she fought to open them even as he turned to send an alert to the healer. When he looked back at her, it was to see her beautiful brown eyes looking back.

"Hermione," he whispered, thanking God, Merlin and any other deity that was available to listen that she'd woken up.

"What... happened?" she croaked out, gripping at his hand.

"You were going to see your parents, do you remember?" he asked. When she nodded, he continued, "There was a house fire on the next street over, a kid was trapped upstairs. As far as the Aurors called to the scene can tell, you apparated up to try and save her and apparated straight into the worst of the flames."

"The kid?"

"You managed to save her before you passed out," he assured her. The healer appeared, asking Ron to give them a moment to check her over, to which he agreed. Squeezing her hand one last time, he stepped out of the room.

Offering Harry and Ginny a tired smile, he said, "She's awake."

The relief on their faces was clear for all to see and they slumped in the chairs as the tension left their bodies.

"Thank Merlin," Harry murmured, resting a hand over his eyes.

"All three of you can go in now," the Healer told them as he left the room again. "Five minutes only, please. She needs to rest. You can all come back and see her in the morning."

Ron led the way back into the room, smiling when he saw she was sitting up a little in the bed. He let Harry and Ginny greet her with smiles and careful hugs, content to stand by her side and hold her hand. When Harry and Ginny left quickly with promises to visit the following morning, he smiled gratefully at them.

Leaning over her, he kissed her gently. "I love you so much," he whispered.

Blinking heavily, already half asleep, she murmured, "I'm not too good for you. I love you."