Chapter 1

The battle was over. It had ended. That fight that had influenced so many things in her life was finished and now she could be herself. These thoughts flitted across her mind as she walked, her right hand clutched in Ron's left, towards the Great Hall. Everything was running through her tired mind; it seemed everything had happened in the last twenty-four hours. Breaking into Gringotts, the Battle of Hogwarts, and now Voldemort was gone. She shivered, and it shook her whole body. Ron stopped walking when this happened and it took her a moment to realize it, making her stop a foot or so in front of him. She turned around.

"We don't have to go back to the Great Hall," he said softy. Hermione looked up at him, saw the tears still in his eyes and the dirt, grime, blood, and everything else covering his face. She knew she looked no better.

"Only if you don't want to," she said, almost in a whisper, "though your mum might want you to."

"We can go back." She turned back around slowly and he followed her until they reached the Great Hall. Together they walked over to his family and Ron's hand fell from hers as she went over to Ginny, who was sitting farther down the table near her parents. His eyes lingered on her for a moment as she walked over and sat down next to Ginny, before sitting down himself.

Ginny leaned against Hermione. So many things had happened since they were last together, but they didn't talk to each other. They just sat; it was enough knowing that they were together and it was over. Then Ginny spoke. "Where is he?"

Hermione knew who she was talking about: Harry. "He went up to the tower, he… we've been up for hours." She said it in a quiet way so that no one around them could hear.

"Will you walk up with me?" Ginny asked. "I don't think I can walk up there alone, and he shouldn't be alone either."

Hermione simply nodded, and they got up. As they passed Ron, he got up and followed them. Once they were outside the Hall, Ron took Hermione's hand and she squeezed his hand back. They walked up together in silence past the crumbled walls, the bloodstained floors, and the broken windows of the castle. When they finally made it to the Gryffindor common room, the Fat Lady simply opened for them without a password. Harry was sitting there in one of the Trio's favorite chairs. He was asleep. Ginny stopped walking so abruptly that Hermione almost ran into her. The common room looked just as it had before they had left at the end of last year. Hermione whispered so as for Ron not to hear, "Do you want us to leave you?"

Ginny nodded, and Hermione turned to leave. But Ron stopped her and instead of leading her out of the common room, he walked toward the boy's dormitory, and she followed, her hand still held fast in his. Ginny watched, amazed for a moment, until they were out of sight. "Ron…" Hermione whispered, "where-?" But she stopped talking when he stopped walking and turned around.

"I know I haven't done things properly, there wasn't time at Shell Cottage, I know we talked and… but now it's over and…." He didn't finish.

"I meant it today," she began, "during the battle and at Shell Cottage. It has always been you, and I … I thought you knew that." He didn't say anything to this; he kept looking at the floor, and his ears had turned red. "Ron," she looked up as to try to look into his face, and he picked up his head and looked into her eyes. She blinked, and he leaned closer. His eyes were so blue even though he had been crying and he was exhausted. He closed his eyes and she closed hers. He kissed her. This kiss was not like the kiss they had shared during the battle. It wasn't rushed and built of fear that it would never be able to happen again. Nor was it like the kisses they had had at Shell Cottage, where again it had been out of fear that it would never be able to happen, that one of them would… that the unspeakable would happen. But it hadn't and wouldn't and they were together now. They broke apart, and Hermione's eyes were closed for longer than his. When she did open them she did it slowly as though not wanting to awake from a dream. She was already half asleep and hardly knew that this was real, but it was. Somehow, it must be. They both smiled a bit at the same time, but knowing that they couldn't smile fully, even though they were happy, because it wouldn't be right, not after everything that had been going on….

Her arms had somehow made their way around his neck and his around her waist. She was glad of this because she thought she might fall over, she was so tired and drained. She leaned back a bit so that she was partially against the wall and didn't have to support her whole self. He seemed to realize how tired she was, or at least knew how tired he was because he unlinked his own hands and took one of hers. She followed him up to the room where he had been once before, a long time ago, before almost any of this had happened, back in their second year when the diary was stolen from Harry. But this time it was different; there was no one else, just them, and they were older now. This meant… more. He sat down on what must have once been his bed, and she sat next to him. She gently put her head on his shoulder. She was so tired, wanting nothing more than to go to sleep….

"Do you still have the bag?" he asked.

"Yes." She wondered why he was asking. Then she realized; she must not have been thinking, they were covered in dirt and blood and all sorts of foul things. They had been wearing these clothes since they had gotten up at Bill and Fleur's what must have been only yesterday morning. But how could it have been? She pulled the little bag out of her pocket and reached into it. He was half watching her, half not, the rest of him consumed in thoughts of some kind or other. She pulled out clean clothes for each of them and then got up. He looked up and looked as though he was going to say something. "I thought Harry might like clean clothes too. If you want," she paused, "I'll come back."

He breathed the word yes and he waited, watching her leave before he changed quickly.

Hermione walked down the stairs to the common room. She could hear Harry and Ginny talking, and she didn't want to interrupt them; however, she wanted to give Harry the clothes, so she walked in and set them down on a couch near them and turned to leave. Harry looked up at her. "Thanks…"

"It's nothing," she said, and she left. She went up the girl's part of the tower to the bathroom and changed her clothes. She cleaned up as much as she could, but she didn't want to take the time to do anything else. She was tired, and she could shower later. They could sleep now; there was nothing to stop them, to worry them. No need to stand guard, to watch for Death Eaters and Voldemort.

She looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was still in a braid, a messy one, but it would just have to stay that way because she couldn't do anything until after she had taken a shower. She left and quickly went down the stairs and turned to go up the other set. She didn't want to bother Harry and Ginny this time. She went all the way up to the room she had entered now two times before. She knocked on the door and it opened.

Ron was standing there in the clothes she had just given him. He stood there for a moment and then he seemed to see that he was standing in the way of her entering the room and stepped aside. His hand reached up to her face, and he brushed the curls that had escaped the braid while they were fighting back behind her ear. Then he let his hand drop, and Hermione let out an almost inaudible sigh. He looked at her, took her hand and she followed him obediently. He sat down and she sat next to him, again putting her head on his shoulder, and this time he put his arm around her waist, pulling her close. She pulled her legs up onto the bed and leaned against him. She was so tired, and she was trying to keep her eyes open and stay awake but she couldn't. She was comfortable now, more comfortable than she had been in a long time, and she was warm and happy as she fell asleep.