Wow, another story! Well, to tell you the truth, this one is rather old as well. I wrote it about a year ago. The beginning is just fluff and the end is a bit sad but I hope you enjoy! -musicnut507

Disclaimer: Once again I do not own Harry Potter or this song. As we all know, Harry belongs to J.K. Rowling and "Iris" (which is one of my favorite songs) belongs to the AWESOME band Goo Goo Dolls (they ROCK!!!).

One more note: This (-----) indicates a change in time. All right now, enough of my ramblings, here is the story!



Iris

The night sky was crystal clear, letting the stars shine on the young couple walking around the lake at Hogwarts. Ron tightened his arm around Hermione's shoulder as they stopped.

"Hermione," the seventh year started," do you ever wonder about what you're going to do with your life after school?"

"Actually, Ron, I have been thinking of working for the Ministry. Why do you ask?" she replied thoughtfully.

"Oh, I dunno," Ron said slowly, "I've just been thinking lately. Y'know," he sat down, "about our future, together."

Hermione raised an eyebrow as she sat down beside him.

"If we have a future together," he added quickly.

"Oh, Ron! Of course we do! I love you, you know that!"

"I love you too, Mione," he said, using her old nickname with fondness. "That's why I want to be with you for the rest of my life." Hermione gasped as Ron fished a little black box from his pocket. He wrapped one arm around her waist and held the box in the other. Then, he leaned over and quietly sang Hermione's favorite song in her ear.

----- *And I'd give up forever to touch you/'Cause I know that you feel me somehow/You're the closest to Heaven that I'll ever be/And I don't wanna go home right now* -----

Hermione smiled as she nodded. Ron slid the ring onto her finger and pulled her up to dance to the rest of the song under the stars (awww how romantic!).

----- *And all I can taste is this moment/And all I can breathe is your life/And sooner or later it's over/I just don't wanna miss you tonight* -----

Everyone clapped as the young newlyweds finished their dance. Harry stood with his arm around Ginny and smiled as he watched his two best friends. He couldn't tell which had the bigger smile they were both so happy.

"They deserve this, you know," Ginny said to him. "They've been through a lot these past few years."

"Yeah," Harry agreed as the next song came on. "I couldn't have defeated Voldemort at the end of sixth year without them. They stood by me and never gave up."

"Uh huh," Ginny sighed.

"C'mon," Harry said as he took Ginny's hand and led her onto the dance floor.

----- *And I don't want the world to see me/'Cause I don't think that they'd understand/When everything's made to be broken/I just want you to know who I am* -----

Ron held Hermione close as they danced. Hermione laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes as she smiled. It just couldn't get any better than this.

Ron bent his head down to kiss Hermione as the song ended and they stopped dancing.

----- *And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming/Or the moments of truth in your lies/When everything feels like the movies/And you bleed just to know you're alive* -----

"Ron!" Hermione chided but laughed as he played with their three-year-old son, Jonathan. He was sitting in the garden with the little boy, trying to teach him how to de-gnome it. "Cut it out, Ron, those gnomes are about as big as him! He wouldn't even be able to hold one steady, much less pick it up!" Hermione said laughing.

"Oh, come on, Mione! Look at him, he's having fun!"

True enough, the little redheaded boy was laughing as he helped Crookshanks chase a gnome around their front yard. Ron checked his watch.

"It's 8:00, Mione," he said, craning his neck to look at her.

Hermione sighed. "Crookshanks," she called softly. The orange cat turned its squashed face toward Hermione and started trotting to her. Johnny watched the cat leave.

"C'mon, Johnny boy," Ron called sitting up. "Time to go in."

Johnny ran to his father and Ron picked him up and carried him inside.

-----

After Johnny had his bath and his parents had tucked him in, he fell right to sleep.

"Oh, Ron," Hermione whispered, "he looks so adorable when he's asleep. Were you ever that innocent?"

"God, no," Ron laughed, wrapping his arms around his wife. "Trust me, he's our son, so he'll surely get into plenty of trouble to make up for this in the future. Especially if he's anything like me."

Hermione laughed and leaned against him as he leaned down to kiss her neck.

Johnny started to squirm in his sleep. "Mommy," he murmured.

"You go get ready for bed," Hermione whispered to Ron. "I'll be there in a minute."

She went into Johnny's room as Ron walked to theirs.

"Shh, honey, I'm here," she whispered soothingly. The little boy calmed down. "That's it. It's alright, Johnny boy, go back to sleep." She kissed his forehead and smoothed his covers and got up to go.

Suddenly, a strangled yell sounded from her and Ron's bedroom. Then came a cruel laugh and a harsh male voice, "That's it, Mudblood. Come and save your husband. We're both waiting for you down the hall."

"Oh, God," Hermione choked out in a horrified whisper.

"No!" Ron's voice came. "Mione, run! Take Johnny and go!"

"Ron!"

"Go!"

----- *And I don't want the world to see me/'Cause I don't think that they'd understand/When everything's made to be broken/I just want you to know who I am* -----

Ron felt as though he was going to choke to death the arm around his neck was so tight. No matter how hard he pulled on it, it never loosened. In fact, it just got tighter.

"Ron!" Hermione screamed.

"Avada Kedavra!"

A flash of green and a dull thud.

He was dead.

-----

Hermione grabbed her child and wrapped her cloak around them both. She tried to apparate, but nothing happened. "They must have charmed the house," she thought. A tall hooded figure came out of their bedroom and Hermione could see a few strands of silvery-blond hair in the dim light. She ran down the stairs with Johnny's arms clutched around her neck. As she ran out the door it began to thunder as lightning struck around her and when she looked back, the huge green serpent-tongued skull was floating above her house.

----- *And I don't want the world to see me/Cause I don't think that they'd understand/When everything's made to be broken/I just want you to know who I am* -----

Hermione walked with her twelve-year-old son to the graveyard with a white rose. It was the anniversary of his death. As they entered the Weasley family plot, John amongst the graves and then to his father's and knelt before it. He replaced last year's picture in the frame by the tombstone with a new picture of his mother and himself. It sat next to the old worn picture of their family before he died. John touched the edges of the old frame photo and a tear slid down his cheek. Hermione came up beside him and laid the rose with the photos as she held her son in her arms. Her fingers traced the inscription on the marker:

Ronald Anthony Weasley,

March 6, 1980-June 18, 2003,

Beloved son and brother,

Devoted friend, husband, and father.

May his memory live on in all of our hearts.

----- *I just want you to know who I am/I just want you to know who I am* -----







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