free fallin
harryhermione
au
for lexi
or,, when grief overtakes
i. the Weasleys are left with three children, after the war.
ii. he doesn't attend the funeral and she does. He cries, far away, while she is stony-faced and pale.
iii. "they were so terribly brave," she says at the funeral. "And I'll miss them forever." She doesn't say, they'll haunt me forever, but they will. The name Ronald Weasley is etched into her mind the same way Ginevra Weasley is etched into his. She apparates away before people start talking to her and telling her, we're sorry for your loss because she doesn't need their pity.
iv. he kisses first. He leans in not even two minutes after she gets there. She kisses back because, if anything, she needs this. They're both getting a crappy version of what they'll never, ever get again, of what was lost.
v. the kiss tastes like ash and grief. It is the first of many.
vi. friends with benefits is whispered through his mind. Is that what they are? He can't say he minds it, for he gets a girl so close to Ginny it's painful.
vii. pro: she's a redhead. Con: her hair doesn't feel the same when he runs his hands through it. Pro: her lips are full. Con: her nose is wrong. Pro: she's as overcome with grief as he is. Con: he's stuck with her even though he doesn't really want to be. Pro: she's smart and patient and fragile. Con: she's not fiery or proud and doesn't curse. Pro: she's Hermione Granger. Con: she's not Ginevra Weasley. There's just so many more that he's not sure this is a good idea anymore.
viii. pro: she grew up with him. Con: he was always the best friend. Pro: he's has soft hair. Con: it's not red. Pro: he's her savior. Con: he loves a Weasley, too. Pro: he's confident. Con: he's not all fumbles and stumbles and Ronald. Pro: his scar is kind of becoming, really. Con: she'll always run her fingers over it and think, this isn't supposed to be here. Pro: he was a Muggleborn too and understands when she drinks from the bottle that burns. Con: she wishes he would make her stop. There's just so many more and she's not sure this is a good idea anymore.
ix. two years and every time she looks at him she starts.
x. both of them wonder where their happy ending ran to.