Disclaimer: Characters belong to JK Rowling, our queen.

As they watched Harry head upstairs to the dormitory to get some rest, Ron and Hermione remained hand in hand. They looked at each other, smiling, and it was then that she realized that since they had kissed, he had not left her side once for more than a moment. And now, as the peace of the end of the war dawned over the two, and they realized just how tired, happy, and sad they were all at once, their lips met again, a passionate, slow kiss to signify the end of the war. There was no more waiting for one to admit feelings for the other, no more denial or pretending that it wasn't always supposed to be this way. They were finally there, together, the way they should have been all along. And nothing was wrong, but at the same time everything was; the loss of Lupin, Tonks, Fred, and the others stung in their hearts like fresh wounds. Still, they knew that these people would be remembered forever, for the noble way that they died.

She looked into his eyes. "Ron?" She asked timidly, a question pressed on her tongue as brown eyes searched green.

"Yeah?" He answered, intent on hearing what she had to say.

"...Its all over, isn't it?" She asked, the realization finally dawning on her completely.

"Yeah, I guess it is." He smiled widely, and she returned it. "We did it, Hermione. We defeated Voldemort."

"With Harry, of course," She reminded him teasingly.

"Yeah, I guess Harry helped a little bit." They both laughed.

There was a moment's silence, and then she had to ask him, "What does this make us?"

"Two of the most famous wizards of all time. The two people that helped Harry Potter the most in defeating Voldemort once and for all," Ron replied, thinking about it.

"No, no. Us, Ron. The two of us. Together." Hermione blushed, and looked down slightly. "Goodness, you really are a numbskull sometimes."

"Everything we both secretly spent seven years of our life wishing for," Ron answered simply.

Hermione looked up again, her eyes meeting his once again, and they both smiled. He squeezed her hand. Leaning her head over, she rested it on his shoulder.

"I honestly don't know what took us so long," Hermione finally confessed, an amused look playing on her face when she realized that they had, in fact, waited for far too long to realize that they belonged together.

Ron sighed softly. "I just always thought that you'd rather have him... It was always my biggest fear," He admitted, closing his eyes.

Hermione lifted her head from his shoulder to look at him again. "You honestly thought that..." She could only laugh, her brown eyes filling with the sparkling joy that Ron always admired in them when she laughed. "I just don't see how you could... I mean, he's like my brother. He's always been like my brother. And my best friend. But you... you're so much different."

"But you chose to stay with him. When we were looking for Horcruxes. You chose him," Ron answered sadly, and his mind flew back to those months in which he constantly convinced himself that Hermione would never want him, that she would always prefer Harry, and the night of the Silver Doe, in which he had destroyed the very thing that had held all of his fears, in which Harry had told him that he thought of Hermione as a sister. And yet...

"No, Ron," Hermione shook her head. "I had to stay with him, don't you see. Did you honestly expect him to defeat those Horcruxes on his own? I swear, I did most of the work when we were alone. He needed us," She insisted, her eyes pleading him to understand. "After you left, I couldn't stop crying... I couldn't think of anything else. I just kept wishing for you to come back. Its you. It was always you."

Ron nodded. "Okay. Its us."

Hermione leaned forward and kissed him again, as if to make certain he understood she was sincere.