Ron stared at the fire until his eyes began to feel uncomfortable, and then he looked down at his hands. They were stinging painfully, and although he had tried so very hard to rinse off every reminder that the war had just taken place off his body, he could still visibly see blood stains and burn marks on his palms.

The common room was deserted. Some of the survivors had gone to bed, while others were still being treated by Madam Pomfrey. This thought sent a shiver down Ron's spine as he remembered that they had just survived through a war. He also remembered that although they were lucky, some were not.

Fred.

Thoughts were sent racing through Ron's mind. He didn't know how he felt right now. He was confused. Physically, he felt weak, feeble and tired. Oh Merlin, he was tired. But no amount of exhaustion was going to get him to fall asleep tonight. He felt a sudden burst of anger at Harry, who was probably sleeping soundly in the boy's dorm. Fred's death was all Harry's fault. This anger was melted away as quickly as it came, and was replaced with a new feeling of guilt. Ron felt pathetic for shifting the blame onto Harry. He knew better than anyone that Harry had been through more than everyone at Hogwarts combined.

'One person couldn't feel all that!'

His naïve words echoed in his head from when he had been younger. Emotional range of a teaspoon? If only Hermione could see him now.

"Can't fall asleep?"

Ron snapped out of his thoughts just in time to watch Hermione sit beside him on the floor.

"I think Fred's doing enough sleeping for all of us, don't you?" he muttered, keeping his eyes fixed onto his hands.

"Ron, I… I'm so sorry…" her voice faded to a whisper and Ron could tell that she was holding back tears.

"Don't be," he said simply, looking at her.

Ron's response was as blunt and direct as she had expected it to be.

Perhaps in some alternate universe, Ron would have placed his arm round her shoulders and encouraged her to let everything out, but not this time. Ron needed her to be strong, because he couldn't be.

Hermione knew that Ron would act like this. It seemed only fair. He had just lost his big brother. Ron hadn't spoken to anyone all day. And while she knew that she should leave him to grieve alone, she also knew that Ron would not be asleep like the others, and this would be the perfect opportunity to let him know that he was there for him. Being away from him for so long was unnatural and strange, and she just wanted him to wrap his long arms around her while she cried till her tears had run dry.

Hermione didn't know what the time was, but she knew that by looking outside the window it was nearly morning.

"Look Ron, I know that you probably don't want to talk to me very much right now, but just know that I'm here for you. I always have been and I always will be. You're my best friend. You're the reason I'm alive and the reason I want to live," she whispered.

Slowly, she gazed into his eyes and saw his crystal blue eyes drowning in tears. He looked away suddenly, and kept his gaze on his hands, as before.

Hermione swallowed a lump that had been rising in her throat for a while. Seeing Ron like this was making her feel defeated. If Ron, the courageous boy she knew and loved, had turned into this empty shell of a man, then maybe there wasn't any hope left in the world. She longed for him to cradle her in his arms and whisper in her ear that everything was going to be okay. But she knew that Ron would never lie to her, and saying that this would all end someday may not necessarily be the truth.

"It's okay, Ron," she said, rubbing his back soothingly.

Ron shrugged her arm off and stood up. "Okay? This is all... okay?" He sucked in a large breath. "Damn it Hermione! My brother is dead!" He flung his arms in the air in exasperation.

"Don't you think I know that Ron? Don't you think that I'm upset? Fred was my friend. I know that's not the same, but…"

"You're right. It's not the same. YOU haven't lost a brother. YOU haven't had to watch your parents cry over their dead son. Merlin, I bet your parents don't even remember you…" she flinched. Ron sat on a chair opposite Hermione and threw his face into his hands. "Look. Hermione, I didn't mean…"

"I take it back," she said monotonously. Her eyes flickered onto his face and she saw confusion etched across it. "You," she spat. "You are not the reason I want to live. The man I want to live for saved me from a troll on Halloween night. He willingly sacrificed himself as the Black Knight in a dangerous giant match of Wizard Chess. He entered the Forbidden Forest and faced his worst fear of spiders when he encountered the Acromantula. He went into the Chamber of Secrets to save his sister. He helped to run Dumbledore's Army. He also went with Harry on his quest to track down and destroy the remainder of Voldemort's Horcruxes, a quest with many risks and dangers. The man I want to live for is the same man that offered to give up his life for me at Malfoy Manor."

Ron flinched at the memory of hearing Hermione scream.

"No," she continued. "You aren't the man I want to live for. He's gone."

And with that, Hermione brushed past him and ran up the stairs to her dorm, wiping a few tears on the way. Ron followed her, but Hermione responded by slamming the door in his face, and he was left outside the door to hear her sob uncontrollably. Every cry was tearing apart his heart and shattering into a million pieces.