Most everyone rose from his or her seat, all lined around the lake. Many people were crying hysterically, many silently. Hermione was one of the latter. Ron was watching her, concerned but unsure what to say, as they rose together to walk across the grounds, and give Harry the alone time they sensed he needed. She faced the grass as they walked. He stood beside her, looking forward, and glancing sideways several times a minute.

Ron opened his mouth to speak several times, although he was never sure of what to say. He watched another glistening tear rolled down her cheek, and tried desperately to think of something. And as she let out a quiet sob, he decided it was inappropriate not to speak.

"Are you ok, Hermione?" He asked her. She shrugged silently, and wiped at her cheek, but the tears had momentarily slowed. "There's got to be a million people here, going to miss him." Hermione nodded.

"He saved Harry a lot." She said. "Not directly all the time, but without him… nothing would have happened the way it did." Ron nodded. He hoped if he could just keep her talking, she wouldn't have to cry anymore.

"Yeah, we'll never forget him." He agreed, and Hermione's eyes began to leak again. His own eyes widened in alarm. "Hey, it's all right," he said, trying to comfort her, but he seemed to be failing. "You know what Harry says… as long as we're loyal to him… and he's not really gone…"

"Do you think we'll all survive?" She asked him suddenly. He looked at her curiously.

"What do you mean?" He asked. Her lip quivered and she inhaled sharply before answering.

"This is a war, and you know Harry's going to be sought out… he might even walk right into it. I know you'd stand by him, and I'll always be by both of your sides, so we'll all be in danger." Her words, and the events of the past week, began to sink in all at once. Dumbledore was gone… "I know Harry's very strong…" Harry was in danger. "But we are just kids…" Who knows how long from now he could be dead. "Harry would always do the normal thing of course…" His best friend could be dead. "I know I'd give my life for either of you…" Hermione could be dead…

He and Hermione had never been quite as close as he and Harry had. She was a girl, so they naturally had less in common, but somehow the thought of losing her stood out as perfectly equal to losing Harry. Only for some reason, it seemed to yank at a completely different area of his heart.

Of course it would be wrong to cry. He was a man, and there was a woman crying next to him, and he had to be strong for her. He no longer heard her words, but he clearly saw her face. He pulled away his eyes, he felt awkward and embarrassed, and still like he might need to shed a tear.

He thought for a moment about his relationship with Harry and Hermione, and all it had been through, and all the future it would survive. His ears seemed oblivious to everything, until he heard a sentence leak into the air around him.

"Dumbledore would have wanted more love in the world, wouldn't he?" He turned to her. She looked into his eyes, and then quickly turned away. "I mean, that's what your mum said, I think she's right, don't you."

He didn't answer her. He knew what she was trying to say, and this was way out of his comfort zone. He would sound stupid confessing any deep feelings at this moment… or any moment, really. And what if he were entirely off?

"I suppose." He answered simply. She could take this conversation wherever she wanted, but he wasn't doing it for her. There was a huge risk of losing her even as a friend, and an even bigger risk, of him beginning to cry just like her if he didn't concentrate on not doing so.

"Really?"

"Yeah." She began to cry even harder. His stomach knotted, he didn't know what to do. Should he talk to her? No he was making it worse. Should he hug her? How awkward would that be? He just stood there for a moment, not moving.

"I love you, Ron." She confessed, and then began to sob loudly, and cried harder than he'd ever seen a girl cry. Time stood still as her words washed over him, and as he thought again about the risks of the following years, and the loss of Albus Dumbledore, and the thought of losing the girl in front of him, a tear rolled down his face, and he pulled Hermione into his arms. She cried in his shoulder for several long minutes, and he rested his chin on her head while he stroked her hair. And he knew by the way she relaxed against his chest, that he didn't need to return her words, for her to know that they were true to him, too.