All right! I have finally returned. This is my first story in about… well… a long time. Originally, this was a depressing one-shot, but I think I'll make it a long story. Hope you guys like it and as always… Much to my disappointment, I don't own any of these characters or the profit that comes with them.

I kicked off from the ground hard, and felt a thrilling sensation rush through my body. I was home. I couldn't believe I had lasted 8 long weeks without flying. The only place I could escape was the air. I laughed as I remembered that only a few years ago, the air was the last place that would provide me with any comfort whatsoever.

Flashback

"Ron! I will not get on that broomstick! It's far too dangerous…" I lowered my voice afraid that somebody may hear. "I…I'm scared of heights"

Expecting him to laugh, I was surprised when he answered me in a serious tone.

"Just hold on tight and you'll be fine" Ron urged. "I promise"

I had held on tight too. So tight, in fact, that I think Ron may have had trouble breathing. And I didn't open my eyes till I was sure we were back on solid ground.

Ron held out his hand to help me off the broomstick. I clambered awkwardly off but didn't let go. This would have usually embarrassed me, but I was too busy staring into his eyes. Why hadn't I noticed that they were so blue before?

It was a while before either one of us talked again. "Uh…Hermione…my hand…" Ron motioned towards my hand, still clutching his tightly.

"Oh I'm sorry!" I reluctantly let go and watched as he tried to get the blood circulating again.

"We should…" He waved vaguely towards the castle. I got the gist.

We walked back in silence, but not an awkward silence, a comfortable silence, as though we were both very content where we were right now.

We finally reached the common rooms. "We'll try again later. Goodnight." Ron turned and disappeared up the staircase, leaving me to ponder the one question that had been going around in my head for a while now. Why did my knees go weak whenever I saw Ron?

Over the next few weeks, Ron continued to coach me in the art of flying. And finally I came to the frightening conclusion. I was falling for Ron!

End Flashback

I laughed. That story always made me laugh. But then I would cry. I felt a single tear roll down my cheek. No. It wouldn't get to me. I was getting over that!

'You need to grieve' Harry had told me that a couple of weeks after the news. I had over-run myself with work, trying not to think about him. But he kept popping up where I least expected him.

His smile, the way his hair fell into his eyes, how he would have laughed at me, hidden behind a mountainous pile of books. But I refused to grieve. Hope was all I had left, and I was holding on as hard as I could. I would spend every spare minute I had researching. There had to be a way to bring him back.

How naive I was back then. There was always an answer to everything. So I spent a good part of a year trying to find something that would give me just cause to be holding onto my hope, my last resort, as long as I had.

I regretted all the time I tried to bring Ron back. Always getting my hopes up, only to have them being forced back down.

Finally, after many months of talking to concerned friends, I gave up. There was no hope. I cried. And the only thing that could make me happy was that I knew that Ron, wherever he was, was happy.

Yes… he was happy.

A sudden gush of wind thrust me to the side, causing me to be swung off my broom. It took me a second or so to realise that I was holding onto my broomstick with one hand. I couldn't hold on much longer, but I was about 60 feet from the ground. I started panicking.

"Help! Help me!" I yelled, although I knew I had no chance of being heard.

Suddenly I heard a voice below me.

"Hermione!" I knew that voice, but from where, I just couldn't place it. But there was something in it that made me trust it.

"Hermione!" He called again. "Let go! I'll catch you!"

If it had been anybody else, I would have held onto that broomstick for my life, but that voice made me feel safe and protected. I let go and felt myself falling.

Oh God! They weren't going to catch me! I was nearing the ground and I still wasn't in somebody's arms! When would they hurry up and catch me?

And then I felt it. Their arms closed around me and I knew I was safe. I couldn't see who they were as I was in an awkward position.

We finally reached the ground and I turned around.

"Ron?" It couldn't be. I was having a hallucination! It must've been an illusion or something. But when he spoke, I knew it was him.

" Hermione…"

He probably would have kept going, but I interrupted him. Was it him?

"Is it you? You're…dead…" I heard my voice speak, but I have no recollection of how I got the words out. My mind was thrust into overdrive. Ron! I was talking to him… But how? He had died. I had seen him. Seen him go down, seen his lifeless body, I was at the funeral.

"Not again…" I muttered to myself. I turned away. I couldn't bear to look at him. He wasn't alive, he couldn't be. I didn't want to be hurt again. I had learnt to control my emotions, suppress them if you will, and one little hallucination wouldn't ruin five years hard work.

"Hermione? What's wrong?" He asked.

I couldn't look at him. I wouldn't! Any second, he would go, and I could just forget all about it. Go on with my life and pretend I hadn't imagined Ron standing in my backyard.

"Hermione, talk to me." He grasped my arm and I was surprised to feel how warm his hand was. Slowly, I turned around. Maybe I could just talk to him…

"Ron… I don't know what to say…" I stopped. What was there to say? Hi. How have you been for the past six years? Apart from dead.

"Erm… Well, we could start with hello, I guess." He looked at her, as if unsure what should come next.

She shook her head slightly, trying to sort out all these questions running around in her head. Why was Ron here? Wasn't he dead? If not, where had he been for six years?

"I'm sorry. It's just… you're not… well… alive, are you?" I stopped, realizing how blunt that was.

"Erm… I'm not really sure actually." He replied, suddenly looking around, as though actually noticing everything for the first time.

"Do you mean that you don't know where you are?" Hermione asked. This was just weird. But I'm Hermione Granger, and I needed to understand what was going on. "Ok. What's the last thing you remember?"

Ok! I'm going to continue this, but if you guys want to review… Well, you know the drill.