Author's Note: I hope you guys enjoy this story. It's based on Hermione's thoughts when Ron leaves the mission in Deathly Hallows. I wrote it in kind of a rush, so I'm not sure how good it ended up being.

Need You Here

"Ron, no – please – come back, come back!"

Hermione was starting to panic; she had been taking neither Harry nor Ron seriously up until this point. She didn't think that either of them could actually be serious; Harry couldn't really want Ron to leave, and Ron couldn't possibly want to discontinue his journey. They couldn't possibly be that angry.

The invisible shield in front of her pushed her back as she tried to follow Ron out of the tent. Desperately, she took out her wand, dissolved the shield, and ran into the night.

It was dark, and the rain falling from the sky was icy cold. She walked aimlessly, took a few steps forward and shielded her eyes from the rain with her hands.

"Ron!" she yelled, squinting in the darkness and taking a few more steps forward. "Ron! Come back! Come back! Please!"

She spotted a figure in the distance; Ron was running. He was too fast for her, and she knew she would probably never catch up, but she began to run after him anyhow. Raising her voice, she screamed for him again.

"Ron, please! Please! Come back to the tent, let's talk this out! Don't do this! You'll regret it, and so will Harry! I know he doesn't want you gone! Ron! Stop!"

But he wasn't stopping; he had slowed down and quit running, and instead was now walking in a fast, furious stride, never looking back. Hermione followed, her eyes starting to sting from tears that were rising up and from raindrops landing right on top of her pupils. She started to sob.

"Ron, please, please! Just come back!" she called, sobs creating pauses in between the words. He didn't listen, continued to walk for minutes, and finally she screamed it, "I don't want you to go! Please! I want you here! Stay with us! Stay with me!"

Finally he paused, and looked back. Her heart lifted; he was going to return to the tent with her! She continued to approach him as he stood quite still in an area ahead of her. When they were ten feet apart and their faces became discernable to one another through the darkness and the rain, she gave him a small smile. For a moment, it looked as though he might return it, but one second later he scowled disappeared with a pop! that was muffled through the sounds of the heavy rainfall.

She blinked and stared at the empty space in front of her, taking in what had just happened. She stood there, shivering cold under the harsh and heavy rain. Finally, she could hold it in no longer, and the sobs began to spill out uncontrollably. She ran back to the tent, not knowing what else to do.

Her mind felt numb. She couldn't believe it. Ron couldn't be gone. He just couldn't be.

Maybe he'll come back! He'll come back later, he'll change his mind! she told herself as she ran, although she knew it was unlikely.

She entered the tent, and looked at Harry helplessly. "He's g-g-gone!" she cried. "Disapparated!"

Saying it out loud made it official. It made it seem as though Ron would never come back. Overcome with sadness and desperation, she threw herself onto one of the sofa-chairs nearby and began to cry into her knees. She felt Harry throw a blanket on top of her, but she ignored this.

She couldn't concentrate; couldn't even gather her thoughts and come to terms with what was happening. All she knew was that she was crying, and that she didn't seem able to stop. The images of what had just happened kept running through her mind in a blur. It had all happened so quickly, she could hardly remember how it had all gotten so out of control.

He's not here! How could he leave? How could he?

More tears leaked from her eyes, and her sobs became harder to control. She knew that Harry should be feeling more betrayed than she should, but she couldn't help but feel like Ron had let her down on a more personal level. It was very selfish of her to feel this way, but she wasn't in control of her emotions.

Ever since she had arrived at Ron's house that summer, their relationship had seemed different. They weren't arguing with one another, they were teasing instead. He was being more respectful towards her opinions; he bit his tongue when he felt like retorting impatiently and took the time to say whatever he needed to say in a calmer tone. They discussed the months ahead of them with a feeling of such mutual understanding; they voiced their apprehension and their fears of what could happen with one another. They were truly opening up, and the wall that they had built between them over the years, the one stopping them from showing their feelings, was finally starting to break down.

Their physical communication had changed as well. Ron would regularly put his arm around her, and it wasn't such a rare occasion for her to take his hand into hers. They danced together through most of the wedding party, and, she felt goofy remembering, he had made her giggle almost the entire time.

Sometimes, when she wasn't required to be doing anything for Mrs. Weasley, she would sit in his room pretending to read a book while he lay on his bed, staring at his Quidditch posters above him or performing random spells with his wand. She would try to read whatever text she currently had in front of her, only to be end up staring at him over the pages.

She wasn't sure what had happened between them, but their relationship had most definitely changed for the better. She wasn't even sure what kind of relationship they currently had. There were certain moments they shared that she knew were too intimate for there to be just a friendship between them. Surely, he must have known this as well, for even Ron Weasley, probably the least versed person in romance, couldn't be so clueless. It was as though they were both consciously moving from friends to something more without ever voicing it aloud. It felt like they'd had a mutual agreement not to discuss their changing relationship.

And now he left! He doesn't care!

Had he forgotten everything? His promise to Harry? His promise that they would do anything to help? That they would stop at nothing to get the missing Horcruxes? That they were willing to die to get the task done?

It's all that stupid locket's fault!

Perhaps she was deluding herself, but she didn't care. The locket put her in a snappy, irritable mood whenever she wore it. It made her feel gloomy and hopeless. Ron must have felt it too, and he had been wearing it for too long a period of time. He wouldn't have left if he had been his normal self, would he? He might have been angry at what he had heard, but he would've listened to reason. He wouldn't have run out on both of them. He wouldn't have let them down.

He would've listened to my pleas!

More tears welled up in her eyes, and her sobs began to renew themselves. She could hear Harry moving in his bed, and she attempted to drown down the loudness of her sobs. She took the blanket he had thrown on top of her and buried her face in it. This did not help her; it smelled of Ron, and her grief seemed to double. She hugged the blanket for comfort, almost pretending that it was Ron himself.

Ron had been her source of comfort throughout this whole journey. When she was scared, he was always behind her to soothe her nerves. When she was worried, he'd put his arm around her and say something to make her smile. When she felt alone, he would hold her hand. When the atmosphere felt dreadful, he'd bring back the warmness she needed like only Ron Weasley could. He meant so much to her. He was her rock. Even when he was afraid himself, he would put on a brave face for her.

She felt almost as if he'd taken the role of her guardian. Sometimes he was infuriating with his determination to keep her safe at all times, but it was sweet all at the same time.

And now he could care less? I could die tomorrow!

And that was what hurt her the most; that he didn't care. Throughout this entire journey, he had been doing his best to pick her up when she was down. Now all of a sudden, it didn't matter to him? The fact that she had begged him to stay meant nothing? He didn't care how she felt about his departure? It wasn't with her who he'd fought with! Shouldn't her feelings count for something? Didn't her position in this mission matter to him as much as Harry's? Did he only care about what Harry thought?

You're being selfish, Hermione.

Yes, she knew it. She knew she shouldn't think of only herself. She knew that Harry was under the most pressure and in the most danger. But did that mean that Ron should not count her sentiments as well? Her position in this mission was not insignificant, was it? And most of all, didn't the friendship she shared with Ron affect his decision at all?

Resentment was starting to mix with her sadness. Ron knew perfectly well that once she and Harry changed their location, he would not be able to return. He could last years without seeing either of them. That is, if they even had the fortune to live for more years to come. Didn't any of this matter to him at all?

Locket or no locket, he had taken a very cruel and imprudent decision. Sure, the locket affected the wearer's mood; that Hermione had no doubts of. Regardless, the piece of jewelry wasn't so powerful to cause someone to do something as rash as what Ron had done. Hermione knew that the locket would never be capable of influencing her to leave her two friends in such a terrible situation. Furthermore, as soon as she ever removed the Horcrux from around her neck, her spirits instantly lifted. Yet Ron continued to run from her after she repeatedly called him.

This realization hit her hard. It had been Ron who had said all those things. It had been Ron who had ignored her screams and please and begs for his return. He really didn't care as much as she thought he did.

I'm so stupid!

Out of all the men she could have fallen in love with, it had to be Ron Weasley. Why couldn't it have been Harry? He was the more prudent, more logical choice. Or perhaps Viktor? Even a long-distance relationship would have been easier to handle than the one she had with Ron. What did Ron have that had her so smitten with him anyway? He didn't care about books. Didn't care about house elves. Didn't appreciate the same things she did. All he cared about was Quidditch, chess, food, and, so she had believed up until now, his friends.

He was frustrating. He was tactless. He was immature —

Not anymore.

Her sobbing had stopped, but her eyes were still spilling tears. Yes, Ron had certainly matured. He was still tactless and a bit insensitive, but she couldn't deny that he hadn't grown. He was sweeter now. And though he was still clueless when it came to emotions, he at least attempted to understand others sometimes.

She hugged Ron's blanket tighter, stood up, and made her way over to her own bed. She lied down and stared up at the ceiling. Her eyes burned from excessive crying.

Ron was a wonderful person. That was why she loved him. Even when he made giant mistakes such as now, his virtues overshadowed his flaws. She only wished he could feel the same way about her in return. If only he could stop hurting her. All he had to do was care for her and she would be happy. But he wasn't capable of even that now. What had she done wrong? Did he not think of her at all when he walked out on them? Did her pleas bounce off him like the raindrops from the sky? Did they not matter to him at all? Was she that unimportant to him?

As the thought of her future journey entered her mind, more tears escaped her eyes and rolled down the side of her face. How long would it be until she would see him again? Would she see him again at all? Anything could happen to him out there, and the same for her! It was a nightmare.

She needed him more than ever, and it hurt that he might not need her at all.

And she closed her eyes, and after what seemed an eternity, she fell asleep.

Disclaimer: The characters are J.K. Rowling's and the scenario was taken from Deathly Hallows.

Author's Note: Please review!