Someone was saying her name, barely discernible through the fog of sleep. Recognizing that it wasn't her husband's voice, Hermione let out a grumble and snuggled further into Ron.
"Hermione?"
This time, the voice came through clearer and stronger, waking her a little more, and she was able to place her brother-in-law's voice.
"Percy, it's the middle of the night," she managed to say, not really caring why he'd turned up at her house at an ungodly hour. Her arms were wrapped around Ron's middle and she squeezed him tighter, almost in an effort to wake him so he could tell his brother, who was once again saying her name, to bugger off.
Her eyes snapped open in surprise as her arms tightened around something much less firm than her husband's strong torso. All thoughts of sleep gone, she sat up, staring down at the pillow she'd been holding in her sleep. Her eyes searched for the clock that was sitting by their bed.
2 am.
Ron was supposed to have been home hours ago. He and Harry had been called out into the field for what was supposed to be a routine check of an abandoned building with connections to some still at large Death Eaters. He'd flooed around the time he would normally come home to say he'd be at most a few hours late, and she'd fed the kids and put them to bed before coming up to their room. She was still dressed and there was a book lying open on the other side of the pillow, indicating she'd fallen asleep while reading. She'd meant to wait up for him, but it had been a long day and she was already exhausted by the time she got home.
Spinning around and taking in her white-faced brother-in-law, Hermione willed herself not to panic. This wasn't the first time Ron hadn't returned home when he'd intended to, and he'd always been fine. Mungo's liked to do thorough checks whenever an Auror came in with even the slightest injury. He was probably fine.
"Hermione, we need to go to Mungo's. Now. Get the kids."
He most definitely was not fine. Every other time Harry or another member of the family had come to her with news that Ron had been injured, they suggested she get someone to stay with the kids. Ron had made it clear back when Rose was barely a month old that the only reason he ever wanted his children to be brought to the hospital in a situation like this, was if they might never see him again otherwise.
Hermione's breath caught in her throat as she quickly climbed out of the bed, rushing to find something - anything - to put on her feet. Percy waved his wand and light filled the room. She gave him a grateful look and grabbed her own wand after stuffing her feet into a pair of boots.
"Can you tell me what happened?" she asked, quickly working her disheveled hair into a plait as they made their way out of the bedroom. Percy let out a sigh and she stopped outside of Rose's room.
"The place wasn't as abandoned as we'd been led to believe," Percy said, obviously frustrated with himself. He'd been working tirelessly for years in the Department of Magical Law to bring all the remaining Death Eaters to justice. The information Harry and Ron had acted on came from testimonies of a few Voldemort sympathizers whom Percy had recently helped put away.
"I don't know what happened, but Harry managed to get word to us that it had gone wrong and that they'd rushed Ron to Mungo's, which is where I just came from."
Hermione willed herself not to lose control, but if Percy had seen his brother and thought it best to get his wife and children…
She took a deep breath and tied off her hair before opening the door to Rose's room. A soft, purple light came from the enchanted butterflies that fluttered in a mobile above her bed. Hermione had tried to get her to outgrow it, but Rose loved the butterflies that had floated above her bed since she was born, and Ron had convinced Hermione to let it be. They cast a warm glow on the five-year-old's sleeping face, and Hermione had to take a calming breath as she took in her innocent child, who might not be as carefree by tomorrow. She looked over her shoulder at Percy, a question in her eyes. He nodded, and headed down the hall to grab Hugo.
Creeping into the room, Hermione knelt by her daughter's bedside, reaching out to stroke her soft, red curls - the exact shade of Ron's and the same texture as hers. She was such a beautiful combination of the two of them, sometimes it hurt to look at her. Not in a truly painful way, but as if it were too good to be true that Hermione was not only lucky enough to have Ron, but that they'd both been lucky enough to have something that was such a wonderful representation of who they were together.
Rose began to stir, rubbing her eyes with her fist and blinking up at her mother.
"Mummy?" she mumbled out.
"It's alright, sweetheart," Hermione whispered, surprised with how calm she sounded. "I just need you to get up so we can go see Daddy."
At the news that she'd see her father, Rose's eyes opened fully, and she sat up in bed, letting out an adorable yawn. Hermione quickly summoned a pair of leggings and a jumper for Rose to throw on over her nightgown, as well as a pair of boots. She could hear the rain that had been pouring down earlier still hitting the windows. Of course, they probably wouldn't even be going outside, but being prepared for anything made Hermione feel like she had more control of the situation.
As soon as Rose was dressed, with only a few questions about where they were going and if her daddy was alright going unanswered, Percy showed up in the doorway, a very sleepy yet dressed Hugo in his arms. Hermione stood from her kneeling position in front of Rose and walked over to them, kissing Hugo's soft hair, which was just as soft as his father's though slightly darker; another beautiful representation of the love she and her husband shared. He immediately reached for her, like she knew he would.
Taking the three-year-old, Hermione turned to Rose, who was standing beside her and looking up at her mother and brother with worry on her young face.
"Rosie, can you take Uncle Percy's hand?"
Rose nodded, grabbing Percy's outstretched hand as they made their way downstairs and towards the floo. Moments later, they were walking through the halls of St. Mungo's, heading towards the ward that primarily saw to Auror's who were injured in the field. The mediwitch at the front desk immediately recognized her, and Hermione didn't even have to ask before she was being told what room her husband was in.
It turned out she really didn't need to be told where Ron was. It was obvious as soon as they made their way into the hall of hospital rooms. There weren't many people standing by his door, but Harry Potter was a dead giveaway, as were the two other people with bright red hair. Hermione rushed towards them, hardly aware that all her hurrying had fully woken Hugo, who was now gripping her tightly around the neck, able to sense that something was wrong.
Harry had seen her coming, and broke away from Ginny and Bill to move towards her.
"Harry, what happened? Where is he?" she asked as soon as she could get the words out. He wasn't in great shape himself. He had a gash down the side of his face and a bruise forming on his temple, though it looked like he'd been cleaned up a bit. The worst part were his bruised and bloodied hands. Like he'd been in a terrible fist fight.
Harry glanced towards the room that his wife and her brother were standing just outside of, and Hermione could hear all kinds of noise echoing from it. People were shouting orders and information at each other, and feet were pounding on the floor as they hurried around the room, most likely working hard to save her husband. Harry looked back at Hermione, his face full of sorrow and confusion and helplessness.
"I don't know how it happened," he said in a hoarse voice. "We showed up and nothing seemed suspicious. Nothing to make us think the building had been cursed in some way. Whoever did it knew what they needed to do in order for it to go unnoticed all these years. Any spells we cast to reveal anything came back negative. Ron went inside as I continued to search the exterior. It was only a few minutes before he communicated that about two dozen House Elves and a handful of Goblins were being held inside. We're assuming for right now that it was some kind of slave trafficking."
Hermione took a sharp intake of breath, holding Hugo tighter.
"I called for backup, but then something inside exploded."
Harry paused and took a deep breath, tears gathering in his eyes.
"The damn idiot said he was fine and that he was going to start working on getting them out rather than come and wait for backup. Idiot even took out his ear piece when I wouldn't stop yelling at him to get out as another explosion shook the place."
Hermione felt a tear trail down her cheek and she closed her eyes as Harry continued, his voice raw with emotion.
"I would've gone in after him, but our back up arrived and Jones insisted we make a plan instead of rushing into the damn thing, but it was already crumbling. We tried holding it up with magic, but like I said, it was impervious to everything we tried. I think they'd found a way to reinforce it to the point where not even Elf or Goblin magic could do anything against it."
He paused, and Hermione knew it was only going to get worse as his gaze flickered to his niece, who was looking up at him from next to her mother with wide eyes and a trembling lip. A look of tenderness appeared on Harry's face, and he bent down to scoop his niece and goddaughter up into his arms. He held her tightly and Rose's little arms gripped her uncle around the neck.
"Is Daddy alright?" Hermione heard her daughter ask in a quiet voice. Harry closed his eyes as a tear escaped, rubbing her back soothingly.
"Your daddy is so brave, Rosie."
She pulled back to look at her uncle, fear still etched on her sleepy face.
"Can you be brave like him and go sit with Aunt Ginny while I talk to your mum?"
Rose nodded, rubbing her eyes and letting out a yawn as Ginny came over at the sound of her name. Rose immediately reached for her, and Percy moved to take Hugo back from Hermione, but not without a struggle.
"No, Mummy," he said with a whimper, before he started crying due to exhaustion and confusion at the situation he'd found himself in. He gripped her more tightly as he felt Percy trying to pull him away.
"Can you be brave like Daddy and Rosie, Hugo?" Hermione whispered into her son's ear, planting a kiss on his head and willing herself not to fall apart. Not yet.
"No!" Hugo wailed, continuing to cry into her shoulder. Hermione soothed him, rocking back and forth and rubbing his back.
"Your sister needs you, Hugo. And Mummy needs you to be brave, alright? Can you do that for me?"
He started to quiet down, and finally allowed Percy to take him. They moved to join Ginny and Rose, who'd gone into a room slightly further down the hall that acted as a waiting area, Bill following behind them and giving Hermione and Harry some privacy.
"How'd Bill find out?" Hermione asked, deciding she needed to focus on something else just for a few more moments before she heard anything else about Ron. The sounds from his room now seemed like they were echoing around her.
"Our's are with Fleur," he said, referring to James, Al, and Lily. "Bill insisted on coming once I mentioned the building had been cursed."
Hermione nodded. "So what happened? What did my idiotically brave husband do?"
Harry gave a sad but affection chuckle at this, his eyes welling up with tears. "He was brilliant. I don't know how he did it because last he said, he was having trouble releasing them with magic. But before we could work out how to stop the building from collapsing, all the House Elves and Goblins started pouring out through the front entrance. The last few made it through just as another explosion happened, this one bigger than the last two combined."
Harry's voice had grown shakier, and he stopped here. Hermione's hand flew to her mouth, tears flooding her eyes. She knew what had happened next.
"No…" she choked out.
Harry looked at her, pain at the fact that he had to tell her any of this etched onto his face. "It collapsed. Before we could manage to find any way to stop it. He'd turned his ear piece back on just as the last few were coming out and said he still had one more level to search, and I yelled at him to get his arse out just as the final explosion happened. It was impossible to move the rubble with magic so we had to dig through by hand. It took us a while to find him. We're just lucky he was on one of the upper floors, otherwise he would have been buried so deep…"
Hermione was shaking her head violently as tears streamed down her face, and then Harry was holding her as she sobbed into his chest.
"He'll be alright, Hermione," he whispered fiercely as he gripped her tightly. "He has to be."
This just made her sob harder as she clung tightly to her best friend.
Four hours. She'd been sitting outside her husband's hospital room for four hours and she'd still been told nothing. A few frantic Healers had come and gone from the room throughout that time, and she'd given up asking questions after several brushoffs. The chaos that had been coming from the room had begun to quiet down a bit, but every once in awhile, it would pick back up again, causing her heart to start pounding in her chest. It had reached a lull about ten minutes ago, but she still sat there, waiting for answers.
Harry had sat and held her for a few hours, but he'd been called in to give a report on what had happened. He'd been reluctant to go, but she'd assured him that she understood, and so would Ron when he woke up. Because he had to wake up. He had children who needed their father, and parents who couldn't lose another son.
And he had her. They'd been through so much to get here. To finally have each other and to have a family. Thirteen years might be more than some people had, but it wasn't enough for Hermione. She wanted more. She wanted to see his beautiful ginger head turn grey, to see his belly start to extend after he'd retired and no doubt became lazy about staying in shape. He had to finally see the Chudley Cannons win the league, and they actually had a shot of doing it this year. He needed to be there to watch her accomplish everything she'd ever dreamed of when she was in school, because he'd always been a part of that. So much of what she wanted didn't seem to matter if she didn't get to share it with Ron.
Exhaustion was threatening to overtake her, and she rested her head against the wall of the hallway, listening closely for any sign that he was going to be alright. She nearly jumped out of her skin when his door finally swung open.
Hermione shakily stood to face the rather haggard looking Healer. She recognized him immediately, and despite the look of concern he wore, it filled her with a small sense of comfort knowing whatever news she was about to hear would come from a friend.
"Dean, what's going on?"
Dean Thomas stepped fully into the hallway, letting the door swing shut behind him. Hermione just managed to glimpse a few other Healers standing at the end of Ron's bed, but she couldn't tell what they were doing.
"He lost a lot of blood, Hermione," said Dean, his arms crossed as he tried to remain professional. "A lot of that was from severe internal crush injuries. We might have been able to fix him up rather quickly if it hadn't taken so long to get him out, but the longer the injuries go unattended, the more difficult it is to mend them."
Hermione nodded, the tears that had hardly stopped flowing all evening gathering in her eyes once again.
"He also broke his arm and has a severe concussion. His legs weren't too beat up somehow, but most of his ribs were broken. We've managed to get those mending, and his internal organs are being treated for all the trauma they suffered as we speak. I won't say it's still touch and go, but I won't be at ease until he remains stable for at least an hour."
"How long has he gone so far?"
Dean paused for a moment, looking at her intently.
"Ten minutes. His heart stopped a few times, but it's been easier to get it started again on each occasion."
Hermione closed her eyes as tears threatened to streamed down her face, one hand going up to clutch at her throat as the other wrapped around her waist.
"He's already shown improvement, but I can't tell you when he'll wake up, or what type of state he'll be in when that happens. This is the tough part. This is where we wait."
Hermione nodded, and a sob escaped her chest. Dean dropped all pretense of professionalism and pulled her into his arms as she started to shake.
"He's fighting, Hermione," Dean assured her. "He'd never leave you without a fight."
Hermione sobbed harder at this, fear and a small ounce of relief that he might actually be okay running through her. She took a few deep breaths to calm down, and Dean pulled back.
"I'm going to let you go in and see him, but if things start to go wrong and I tell you to leave, you have to listen, alright?"
Hermione nodded, dabbing at her wet cheeks with the back of her hand. He led her into the room, and Hermione's breath caught in her throat when her eyes landed on her husband.
Ron's face was hardly recognizable due to all the bruising and swelling, but she could still make out his long nose and even a few freckles on the small parts that were undamaged. There was also some type of mask on the lower part of his face that Hermione knew was helping him breath. His left arm was in a sling and heavily bandaged, and her mind flashed back to their time on the run when he'd been splinched. His chest was bare so they could monitor his healing, and tubes were connected to him along his abdomen and chest, allowing potions to be administered directly to the injuries. His legs were covered, but Dean has said those were mostly fine save for a few small scratches and bruises.
"His face should be healed up in a few hours," Dean said as Hermione sat in a chair by Ron's head. "His nose was broken and we reset that. Can't imagine Ron looking any different."
Hermione chuckled lightly, wanting to reach out and run her finger along her husband's long nose, but too scared to touch him in his precarious state. There was an image floating across from her that gave readings of his heart rate and brain activity, as well as a few other things Hermione wasn't familiar with. It gave off a low hum with every beat of his heart.
"Rose and Hugo," Hermione said, suddenly remembering her children. "They're with Ginny and Percy and Bill down the hall."
She looked at Dean and he nodded. "We can go tell them he's stable, but I wouldn't recommend they come in. Not until he's been stable for long enough that I'm confident he'll stay that way."
"What are the chances this is the last time they'll see him?" Hermione asked, struggling to get the question out. Dean looked at her with fierce determination.
"I won't let that happen. Promise you'll listen to them if they order you to leave?" Dean asked, gesturing to the two other Healers in the room. Hermione nodded and Dean left to go inform the others.
She turned her attention back to her husband and felt a fresh wave of tears coming on. Willing herself to keep it together in front of the other Healers, she sniffed and took a deep breath.
"Can I touch him?" she found herself asking, and one of the Healers, a witch no older than she was, nodded. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief when she gripped his hand and found that it was warm. Her other hand moved to brush his hair back from his forehead, and she leaned in, placing a light kiss on his temple. She stayed close, breathing him in and letting the tears escape her eyes. The two Healers were talking amongst themselves while checking various vitals and levels of potions, doing their best to give her some privacy.
"You're such an idiot," she found herself whispering, resting her forehead lightly against the side of his head. "Why do you have to be such a bloody Gryffindor?"
She sniffed as her tears started to slow, taking comfort in simply touching him and talking to him.
"I love you so much. You're not allowed to leave me yet, understand? I need you. I'll be a right nightmare if I have to walk out of here without you."
The thought of it brought on a fresh wave of tears, but she calmed down quickly, trying to focus on the fact that she was simply telling her husband everything he already knew.
"Harry will never forgive himself if you're not okay, and we're supposed to look after him, so you can't leave him either."
She gently stroked his forehead with her thumb, her other fingers running through his soft hair.
"Whenever you're ready, I'm going to need you to wake up, alright? I'll be here. I'm not going anywhere."
She dropped one more kiss on his forehead before sitting up, clutching his hand in both of hers and lifting it up to rest against her cheek as she steadied her breathing and began to wait.
Hermione woke with a start, momentarily forgetting where she was before it all came rushing back. She'd fallen asleep with her head resting on Ron's hospital bed, her hands still clutching his. Her eyes raked over him, and she realized she must have slept for a few hours. His face was still bruised, but it was definitely more healed then it had been before. His chest and abdomen still seemed bruised and tender, but the coloring of the bruising had changed and whatever gashes that had been there before were mostly mended. The clock above his bed read nine, and she remembered she and Percy had shown up shortly after two in the morning and she'd finally been able to see him close to six.
She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and glanced around the room. Dean was sitting in a chair by a window, a quill in his hand as he made notes on a medical chart.
"How's he doing?" Hermione asked, and Dean looked up from his folder, standing and moving towards the image that was reading Ron's vitals.
"He's been stable for about two hours now, so that's good. I'd be comfortable with it if he had some more visitors."
Hermione nodded, and Dean left the room, leaving her alone with Ron for the first time. She didn't say anything to him, merely squeezed his hand tighter and leaned forward to kiss his newly healed cheek. She heard the pitter patter of little feet coming from the hall a moment later and looked over her shoulder just in time to see Rose poke her head through the door, Harry hovering just behind her.
"Come see Daddy, dear," Hermione said in a quiet tone, and Rose tentatively made her way towards her mother. Pulling her daughter into her lap, Hermione braced herself to explain what Rose was seeing. She'd always been inquisitive, so she was bound to ask questions. But Rose remained quiet, looking at her father with a furrowed brow as Ginny walked in with a wide awake Hugo in her arms.
"Mummy!" he said, reaching out for her, and she shifted Rose to one leg so Hugo could join his sister. He immediately reached out to climb onto the bed once he realized his father was lying there, but Hermione quickly pulled him back.
"Can I wake Daddy up?" said Hugo, pointing at his father as if his mother didn't realize he was there.
"Daddy's hurt, Hugo. He's resting and we need to be gentle with him."
Hugo looked at his father, concern etched on his still very babyish face.
"Can you kiss it better?" he asked in confusion.
Hermione smiled, kissing her son on the head.
"I already did, darling, but that was sweet of you to ask. We just have to be patient now."
Hugo nodded and sat back against her to wait patiently, just like she'd said. Hermione turned her attention back to Rose, who'd yet to say anything as she looked fearfully at her unnaturally still father. It was obvious she was having a difficult time digesting what was happening. Hugo was still too young to understand the exact gravity of it all, but Rose knew this wasn't just her father taking a nap after a long day at work. Hermione wasn't sure what to tell her daughter, not wanting to give false hope, but not wanting to scare her more than necessary either. She settled for simply holding her a little tighter.
Hugo eventually sat forward, obviously bored with the proceedings, and hopped off Hermione's lap. Harry and Ron's siblings were all sitting around his bed as well. Molly and Arthur had shown up an hour ago, and were over in a corner of the room talking to Dean.
"George said he'd be here as soon as Verity can make it in to the shop," said Harry, as Hugo made to crawl into his lap. "No one's been able to get ahold of Charlie."
He started bouncing the boy on his knees, something Hugo could spend hours doing. His laugh echoed around the room, and the somber atmosphere lifted a bit. The only sound other than the occasional words they spoke and the murmured conversation between Ron's parents and Dean had been the humming of the vitals monitor up until that point. It had been a steady reminder to Hermione that Ron was still alive. His heart still beating. It had stayed strong and steady for two hours now. They just had to keep waiting.
It wasn't until the next morning that Hermione let herself breath easier. Ron had made it through another night without any major issues. One injury had started bleeding internally again, causing his heart rate to drop slightly, but Dean and his team of Healers had stepped in immediately, and he was stable again within a matter of minutes, which Dean took as a good sign.
Hermione was very thankful to have Dean there. She was very aware that he'd stayed longer than his usual shift just to make sure Ron was alright. It helped having a friend, knowing Ron was in good hands. She was also thankful that Arthur and Molly had taken Rose and Hugo to get some sleep before Ron had started bleeding again. The less they had to see, the better. Rose hadn't said much all day, only really asking questions when she wanted to use the loo or was hungry. Hugo had insisted at one point that he try kissing his father better, and Hermione had obliged him, lifting him up so he could plant a soft kiss on Ron's cheek. That seemed to be all the reassurance Hugo needed, and when Hermione asked Rose if she'd like to do the same, the young girl simply shook her head.
She was sitting by Ron's bedside and decided the read the morning paper that had arrived with some food for her a little while ago, trying to keep her mind off things, but the incident had made the news. There was a picture on the front page of the building as it collapsed, and the headline read: Auror Weasley in Critical Condition After Cursed Building Collapse.
She set it aside immediately, tears springing to her eyes at the sight of what had happened. It was just more proof that this was all real. She couldn't imagine how much pain he must have been in, and she hoped the head injuries had caused him to pass out instantly, so he didn't have to endure much. Even though he was starting to heal, he was still going to be in pain if he woke up.
When, she reminded herself. When he woke up.
He was looking better than he had even six hours earlier. His face was almost back to normal, though there was still some bruising on his jaw and temple. His arm was to remain in a sling until they were sure it was properly set, and the bruises on his abdomen and chest had faded to mostly green and yellow shades, though a few were still a dark purple. His ribs were healed, but would still be tender for awhile as the skele-grow continued to set, but they'd begun to wean him off that potion already.
By lunchtime, he was also breathing on his own; a very good sign, according to Dean.
"His heart rate has picked up to a stronger pace as well," Dean said, looking over the detailed charts that he'd been meticulously keeping over the last thirty-some hours. "I think we can stop most of our worrying. My last real concern is the concussion, but all readings of brain activity are appearing normal, so I'm hesitantly optimistic."
Hermione nodded, turning back to face Ron and gripping his hand as Dean waved his wand over his patient, taking another round of diagnostics.
"Thank you," Hermione told Dean, glancing at him briefly before turning her attention back to her husband. "I know you didn't have to stay, but I appreciate it."
Dean gave a light chuckle, and she turned to him in surprise.
"I probably wouldn't be alive without Ron Weasley," he said, surprising Hermione once again. "Without all of you. I would have been taken straight to the Ministry and most likely disappeared along with countless other Muggleborns we lost during the war. You lot showing up and then getting me out of Malfoy Manor, I'll never forget that day. The whole wizarding world might owe you in theory, but I know exactly how you saved my life. I'd gladly repay the favor any day."
Hermione gave him a watery smile. They hadn't kept very close with Dean, other than the random DA meetups and other events, and now she found she wished they had. Part of her thought it was because of his past relationship with Ginny, but he was married now too. They'd gone to his wedding a few months ago, and he and Parvati seemed very happy. Hermione had chuckled when she'd bumped into Lavender in Diagon Alley over a year ago and she'd told Hermione that she and Seamus had finally managed to get their best friends to see sense. They'd danced around each other for what felt like ages. Dean had been rather hung up on Luna for awhile, something no one saw coming, and Parvati had dated around quite a bit, not wanting to settle down early like her sister had.
It hadn't really come as a surprise when their engagement was announced only a few months into their relationship, and they'd been married for almost three now. She made a mental note to have them round for dinner sometime. Once all of this was behind them.
Pulling herself from her musings, she turned her attention back to Ron, taking comfort in the humming of his heart beat and the newly healed skin. She'd started taking inventory every time she looked at him: legs, still covered by a blanket, seemed fine when she got there and practically like new now; arms, one still in a sling and the other only slightly bruised; chest and abdomen, still slightly bruised, but definitely healing; face, no more deep gash and his bruises had almost all faded to the point where she could make out the majority of his face, taking in almost every freckle as his eyelids fluttered -
Her hand tightened around his and she gasped. His eyelids had fluttered. That hadn't happened yet. Had she imaged it?
It happened again, this time much more obviously, and she called out to Dean. He immediately noticed it, waving his wand over Ron's head, and a small smile grew on his face as Ron's eyes threatened to flutter open. Hermione held her breath as Dean braced his hand on the bed and leaned over Ron.
"Ron? Can you hear me?"
Nothing, just more eye movement.
"Ron, it's Dean. Do you know where you are?"
This time he groaned, and his head rolled slightly to the side. Hermione stood, still keeping a firm grip on his hand. She looked down at it in shock when he tightened his grip for the first time.
"Ron," she said, the word almost coming out as a sob, and this time, his eyes fluttered open. They blinked slowly a few times and he let out a cough. Dean summoned a glass and began filling it with water from his wand.
"Ron? Can you hear me?" Hermione said softly, leaning forward so he could see her without moving, her free hand stroking his hair gently. She let out a half sob, half laugh of relief when his bright blue eyes found hers. The moment he saw her, she knew he was going to be fine. She saw every ounce of love he had for her in his eyes as they soaked her in.
He let out a groan as if trying to say something, and Hermione looked at Dean.
"Don't try too hard to speak," said Dean, "But can you tilt your head up a bit?"
Ron gave a slight nod, and Dean's hand slipped behind his head to help tip it forward, resting the cup against his lips so he could take a few sips. Ron let his head rest back on the pillow with a sigh, turning his eyes back to Hermione.
"You know who I am?" she asked with teary eyes, and Ron nodded.
"Do you know what happened?" asked Dean, and Ron hesitated a moment before nodding once more, his eyes still on Hermione.
"Your throat was crushed a bit in the rubble and your lungs are still healing" Dean explained, "but you should be able to talk now."
Ron licked his lips and swallowed, looking intently at Hermione. His words game out rough, but clear.
"I'm sorry… I… scared you."
Hermione let out a relieved laugh, not even bothering to stop the tears that were streaming down her face as she leaned down to rest her forehead against his. They both breathed deeply, and he squeezed her hand tightly.
"I can forgive you for that, but you'd have been in a lot more trouble if you'd died on me."
He gave a low chuckle, which turned into a cough, and Hermione pulled away to help him get another drink of water.
"Can he sit up?" Hermione asked, knowing the beds could be adjusted.
"His ribs are still setting so I'd rather wait till at least tomorrow," said Dean. "I'll do a full run down of where we are in a bit, and I need to run a few more tests now that he's awake. I can pop out and check some other patients so you two can have a moment."
"Does it hurt to talk?" Hermione asked after Dean had left, gently sitting on the side of the bed with his hand in her lap so he could see her. Ron shook his head.
"Only… a little. Hurts more.. to breath."
Hermione nodded. "The kids are with Harry and Ginny getting lunch. All of your siblings have been here except Charlie, but he said he'd come when he can, unless you were to wake up and tell him to bugger off."
Ron chuckled, and thankfully didn't start coughing as much this time. "Sounds like Charlie."
"Your parents have been around, too. But they went to go relieve Fleur. She's had James and Al and Lily since you got here."
Ron swallowed and nodded. "How long?"
"Day and a half. I think you came around more quickly than Dean expected."
Ron almost smirked at this. "I aim to… impress."
Hermione shook her head, thankful that he hadn't lost his sense of humor, no matter how much pain he was in.
"Are you in a lot of pain?" she asked.
"Stiff mostly," he said, moving slightly as if to test it. "My chest is the worst. The breathing."
She nodded as he seemed to struggle just to get that many words out. Her free hand went to stroke his hair once again, and he turned his head to rest against her palm, his eyes closing.
"How're the kids?"
"Hugo's fine," she said, and Ron opened his eyes to look at her when he sensed the hesitation in her voice.
"Rose hasn't said much. Not even asking questions. She seems a little terrified."
Ron nodded, turning his head so he could kiss Hermione's palm.
"They'll be back from lunch soon. Will you want to see them?"
He was nodding before she'd even finished the question.
"Just make sure to remind Hugo to be-"
"Gentle. I know," Hermione said with a smile. Ron knew their son well. He closed his eyes and sighed, before staring almost longingly up at her.
Reading him perfectly, Hermione moved to lean over him, gently dropping a kiss to his forehead and each cheek before lightly pressing one to his lips. She could feel herself shaking with a mixture of relief and all sorts of overwhelming emotions as the shock of the past day and a half began to wear off. Ron released her hand and managed to wind his arm around her waist in an effort to be closer to her. Hermione carefully placed her hand on the mattress on his other side so she could lean over him, and allowed him to kiss her more deeply. He had to pull away quicker than he normally would, since his lungs still weren't working at their full capacity. She settled for planting kisses on his face as he caught his breath.
"I love you… so much," he managed to get out.
"I love you too," she said between kisses, briefly planting one last kiss to his lips before sitting up. He let out a groan of disappointment and she chuckled.
"You probably shouldn't over exert yourself," she teased, and he just pouted at her, but his expression turned serious a moment later.
"I really am… sorry."
She shook her head, willing herself not to cry.
"I'm just glad you're okay. And as stupid as you were, I can't help but be proud of you. I've been telling your children how brave you are."
Pain crossed his face for a moment and he shifted on the bed, letting out a cough.
"Are you alright?" Hermione asked, slight panic in her voice. "Should I get-"
"M'alright," he mumbled out, his eyes focusing back on her. "It's my own damn fault... I just kept thinking 'Hermione would want me to save the House Elves,' and then I couldn't leave them."
Hermione rolled her eyes as those familiar tears gathered once again.
"You're an idiot, you know that? I don't give a damn about the House Elves if you're not safe. You've always mattered more to me than that."
Ron's eyes started to gather tears as well, the enormity of the situation sinking in as his grip on her waist tightening.
"I'll keep that in mind."
"You better," she said with a sigh, leaning forward to kiss him lightly once more.
Their attention was pulled away by a knock on the door, and Harry poked his head in as Hermione sat up.
"We ran into Dean and he said he's awake?" Harry asked hesitantly. Hermione nodded.
"Leave the kids with Ginny a moment?" Hermione asked, and Harry gave a nod before ducking back out of the room. He came in less than a minute later, slowly approaching Ron's bed with a guilty look on his face. Ron rolled his eyes as soon as he saw his best friend's expression.
"Knock it off, mate. Not only is there nothing… for you to feel guilty for… but you're not allowed to make this about you."
Harry gave a small smile as he let out a sigh of relief that his best friend seemed to be the same as ever.
"You feeling alright?"
Ron gave Harry a pointed look.
"Right, sorry. Look, we're going to have to debrief because I have no idea what the hell happened in that damn building, but it can wait till later. Anything I can do for the two of you?"
"Make sure she sleeps," Ron said with a pointed glance towards his wife. She gave him an afronted look.
"I've slept."
Ron gave a snort in disbelief. "Maybe a few hours accidentally."
Hermione blushed and gave him an annoyed look while Harry grinned at them.
"I'll do what I can."
Ron gave him a look of gratitude, and Hermione felt her love for him overwhelm her. Even though he was bedridden and likely to be so for awhile, the first thing he thought of was her well being. And she knew what he was going to ask next.
"Can you handle the kids as well? I know she's not going anywhere easily," he said with a glance at his wife, "and it would be helpful to know… everything is taken care off. They don't even have to… stay with you. As long as someone has them and you-"
"Save your breath," Harry told him, his tone serious rather than teasing. "We're already handling it."
Ron gave a nod in thanks. "Can I see them?"
Harry nodded, pausing only to reach out and lightly grip Ron's shoulder.
"I'm glad you're alright."
He moved to the door and stuck his head out, calling for Ginny. The sound of small feet running towards the door had an immediate effect, and Hermione felt Ron stirring.
"Lie still," she told him as he removed his arm from around her waist and made as if to push himself up.
"I don't want to scare them by lying here like a corpse," he told her.
"They've already seen you. It'll be fine as long as you're awake."
The door swung open as she finished her sentence and Hugo ran at her, throwing his arms around her legs.
"Is Daddy 'wake?" he asked, and Hermione pulled him up into her lap.
"Remember what we said about being gentle?"
Hugo nodded and looked down at his father, grinning as the same blue eyes stared back at him.
"Hi, Daddy. Are you better?"
Ron smiled, lifting his arm to grip Hugo's small leg.
"I'm getting there, mate."
"I kissed you better, just 'case," Hugo said with pride, and Ron chuckled.
"Thanks, Hugh. You've been good for Aunt Ginny?"
He nodded. "She even let me have biscuits. I was really good."
Ron let out another chuckle as Ginny came to stand by his head. He reached up and gripped her hand.
"Don't scare me like that again, prat."
He smiled at her. "I'll do my best."
Hermione tried not to let his words affect her. She had tried so hard not to think about the fact that as soon as Ron was healed, he'd be going right back out there, facing the same dangers.
"Where's my girl?" he asked, trying to look around the room but unable to see the small girl unless he sat up. Hermione looked and saw Rose still lingering by the door, Harry standing nearby.
"Rosie, would you like to say hello to Daddy?"
Her eyes were locked near where Ron's head was, but she glanced at Hermione when she spoke to her. Rose gave a slight nod, reaching blindly for Harry's hand. He gripped her fingers and led her over, sitting in the chair Hermione had vacated when Ron woke up and pulling Rose into his lap. Ron's face lit up the moment he saw her, and some of the worry dropped away from Rose's face as well.
"Hi, sweet girl. I missed you."
Hermione's heart melted as a single tear fell down Rose's cheek and she quickly wiped it away. Ron reached his hand out, his own eyes watery with tears.
"I'm alright, Rosie," he assured her as her small hand gripped his. "I'm hurt, but I'll be okay. I just need you to help Mummy until I'm better, yeah? Can you do that?"
Rose nodded. "Yes, Daddy."
Ron gave his daughter a tender smile. "I love you, Rosie."
She sniffled, but smiled back.
"I love you too."
And she stood on Harry's legs, leaning forward onto the bed and gently resting her weight on her hands, her face just reaching Ron's so she could drop a kiss on his cheek.
She plopped back down on Harry's lap and looked quizzically around the room. Ron still had a few tubes in him that would occasionally distribute potions, and his vitals were still being monitored.
"What do those do?" Rose asked, pointing to the tubes before turning to look at his vitals. "And what does that mean?"
Hermione smiled as Ron tried to explain as best he could, but he was saved by Dean coming in a moment later, who received the same questions from the inquisitive girl. Harry and Ginny left with the kids not long after when Dean said Ron needed to rest, with a promise to bring Rose and Hugo back soon along with his siblings. Dean went over all of Ron's injuries and what stages of healing they were each in, before telling them what to expect in the coming days and weeks.
And Hermione finally let herself fully feel like things were going to be alright. As she sat there gripping his hand, she knew that it wouldn't be long before Ron was back out there and she'd be worried once again, and probably even more so than she'd ever been before. But she trusted him. And she knew he'd always come back to her. He'd promised her that a long time ago, and he'd managed to keep his word so far.
He was fine. They were going to be just fine.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed! I love Ron and Hermione's little family and this was so much fun to write. I kind of want to do some more one shots about their life together post Hogwarts so let me know if there's anything you'd like to see! Enjoy reading and reviewing!