If You Ever Come Back

"Ron, no – please – come back, come back!" you cried. You made to run after him, but were stopped abruptly by your own shield charm. By the time you had removed it and had followed the red-head teenage boy out of the tent, you were already worrying that you were too late.

"Ron!" you called into the darkness. "Ron?" It was okay, there he was …

No. A trick of the light. But he was here, you were sure of it – he wouldn't really leave.

"Ron!"

By now tears were pouring down your cheeks. Any minute now he would appear through the trees, begging for forgiveness. You tore through the mist and the trees, eyes streaming, calling his name.

You couldn't go much further – the boundaries of the protective site you were in were near. If you ventured outside of them, you wouldn't be able to get back. And you couldn't leave Harry alone.

You broke down on the leaf-covered ground as reality hit you suddenly, harshly, like a slap in the face. Ron had gone. He wasn't coming back.

You stumbled blindly back to the tent, unaware of your surroundings. You fall through the entrance, chilled to the bone – both from the torrential and the thought that Ron's not there.

"He's g-g-gone! Disapparated!" you sobbed, before collapsing onto the nearest chair and curling up into a ball. You felt Harry throw some blankets over you, but didn't say thank you. There wasn't much point.

Slowly, you cried yourself to sleep. You remembered little of your dreams – they were chaotic and confusing and were more like nightmares than dreams.

You woke up early next morning: your neck was sore and you'd lost the feeling in your left arm. You meandered from the chair towards the kitchen area and picked up the kettle before wandering towards the stream to refill it. The air was cold and the sunlight was weak through the branches, but you, Hermione, felt rejuvenated, alive.

You'd forgotten about the events of the night before. Or you might've been in denial about what had happened – it was easier to pretend that nothing had happened.

When you were back in the tent, you put the kettle on one of your infamous little blue fires and began to male breakfast: three mugs, three plates … wait.

You turned around, towards the beds. No Ron. Your heart sank to your toes as the events of the previous night came back to you.

Breakfast wasn't at all enjoyable without Ron. You purposefully took much longer than usual in the knowledge that once you and Harry had left, Ron would never find you again, due to all the protective enchantments that surrounded wherever you were staying.

Eventually, after you had repacked your bag for the third time, you were fully aware that you and Harry had to leave. You two should have moved on hours ago; staying here was verging on dangerous. You had to go.

But there was still one more thing to do. Even though you knew Harry wouldn't approve, you pulled off your scarf and walked over to the nearest tree. It didn't matter if your neck got cold – you weren't going to let Ron go quite that easily.

Hey Ron, you thought as you tied your scarf around the nearest tree. This is a sign, for you, if you ever come back. I hope you will.

And with a final look from Harry, you grabbed his hand and they twisted into the darkness.


I hope you enjoyed that! This was done for:

"The Script" Competition by GlassCaseOfEmotion – the song If You Ever Come Back

The Pairing Love Competition by WeasleySeeker: Romione needs more love in this world!

Song Fic Boot Camp Challenge by UnicornsAndRainbows20089 – Song: If You Ever Come Back by The Script, Prompt #38: Drink

Pairing Diversity Boot Camp Challenge by Ralinde – Pairing: Ron/Hermione, Prompt #50: Early morning cheerfulness can be extremely obnoxious.