Lost
A/N: Hi, guys! This is my second FF, a little oneshot between Ron and Hermione (who else?) after the war. I feel like they need something between them, Hermione would want and need to talk about the kiss with Ron. Hope you like it :)
DISCLAIMER: I forgot it on my first version :( I'm sorry! Everything you recognise is JK Rowling's, not mine.
Hermione's POV
It's funny, I always thought I'd be relieved if we ever won this war and survived it, but now it's actually happened, I don't know what to feel. Mostly, I feel the heartache of every lost hero, who died fighting for us to have a better future. But then I feel guilty that they can't be here to live in the world without Voldemort- that they can never know what their sacrifice meant. I also can't help but feel something I didn't think I ever would after the war-joy. I kissed Ron! The Ronald Weasley, the boy-man-I've been in love with since I was just 12 years old. And what's more, he kissed me back! I keep replaying the kiss in my head, committing the feel of his lips on mine to my memory. The raw love in that kiss was overwhelming; I just wish I knew if he felt it too.
"Hermione?" I heard a voice call right behind me, the voice I have etched into my mind.
"Ron! How are you? But of course, that was such a silly question, I'm sorry. I hope your family are okay, should you have left them? I mean-"
"Hermione, you're babbling. Why are you so nervous? It's only me!"
When did he become so perceptive?
"Sorry." It's the only truthful reply I can give him right now, I don't want him to know it's because of him I'm suddenly nervous.
"I just needed to see you- to check you were okay." He said it almost cautiously, as if he was afraid too.
"Thank you, Ron. I'm doing okay, all things considered. How are you?"
"I'm…" he couldn't answer, so he looked away.
"Ron, it's okay. You should probably get back to your family. They need you."
"You're my family too, Hermione. Please let me stay with you, just for a while. I need space from them. It's too much!" Ron looked close to tears, so I stepped forward and brought him down into a tight hug. I feel a tear fall onto my shoulder, where he's now resting his head, so I hold him even tighter, whilst trying to hold back my own tears. I need to keep it together and supress any urge to acknowledge that he considers me his family.
"It's just not fair, Hermione! Why did they kill Fred? Why wasn't I there to take his place? I wouldn't have caused this much pain on everyone." I loosened my grip and pushed him off me, keeping my hands on his shoulders. How could he say that? Doesn't he realise what he means to me?
"Ronald, please don't talk like that. I know you're hurting, but please never ever say that again!" He looks away again, so I move my hand to rest on his cheek, encouraging him to look at me. When he does, I finally whisper,
"If it was you, Ron, I'd have died too. I would have given up if you weren't fighting next to me, if you were, d-dead." The words feel like poison in my mouth. "Fred died for us, Ronald. He died fighting for us to be free. I wish he didn't, we'll all miss him, but I'm eternally grateful that he gave us a chance."
He reached forward, his thumb wiping away the tears I hadn't even noticed I was shedding. It was now or never;
"Ronald, we need to talk about what happened earlier- our… k-kiss."
"Why, do you regret it?" He asked quickly, his blue eyes boring into mine.
"What, no! Why, do you?" How could he even think that?
"I've been waiting to do that for roughly 3 years." He had a small smile playing at his lips.
"So… That's a no to regretting it, right?" I need him to say it, to let me know he doesn't.
"Never, Hermione." He's looking down at me, slowly moving closer. We don't break eye contact. He closes the gap by pulling me into him, his arm slipped around my waist. I can barely breathe; it becomes a trivial action when we're so close… Our heads are leaning in, painfully slow. I let my eyes flutter closed as our lips meet, finally, for the second time. It's sweeter this time, no less passionate, but there's no sense of urgency as there was in our first. After what seemed like a lifetime, Ron pulled back, but kept his strong hold on me.
"Hermione, that was, I mean y'know this, it's… Just wow, Hermione!" I laughed softly at his reaction- he never has had a way with words.
"I need you to know, this is it for me. You're it for me. I love you, Hermione. I always have and I reckon I always will." Oh, it seems I was mistaken before. He's matured so much in the past year, I forget sometimes that he's not the same awkward boy I first met on the train.
"You know I love you too, don't you Ron?"
"I hoped you did," he grinned down at me, taking my hand and intertwining our fingers. We stayed in a comfortable silence until we heard voices and footsteps, bringing us back to the reality of the where we were.
"You should go back," I gently suggest to him, trying to disentangle our fingers.
"Fine, but can you please come with me? I can't do it alone." I couldn't leave him now, he needs me. I smile at him and squeeze his hand, letting him know I was there for him.
"Wait…" He pulled me back into him, capturing my lips in his, claiming them for his own.
"Bloody hell, I won't ever get tired of this!" He laughed, pulling me into him, his arms around my waist, whilst my own snaked around his neck. I rested my head on his shoulder, inhaling the scent that I can only describe as 'Ron'.
"Ronald, we should go," I sighed, heavily. We walked in silence back to the Great Hall, until we saw the sea of gingers. As we walked over hand in hand, Mrs Weasley turned to us, giving us a watery smile as she noticed our interlinked fingers.
"Well it's about time, don't you think?" Ginny said, raising an eyebrow towards us. Harry and the rest of the Weasleys turned to look at us with their tear-stained faces and watery smiles, all holding the same 'told-you-so' expression as Ginny. I turned to look at Ron, whose ears were bright red and grinning sheepishly at me. I suddenly felt overwhelmed by the kindness of them; Fred was gone and so many others were lost, yet they could still be happy for Ron and I. Ron was right, we were all family here.
A/N: So, that's it. I don't know if I captured either of them right really, but I guess that's for you to decide. Feel free to let me know why and whether you liked it or not!