In Hermione's mind, the only thing that kept Ron from protesting that Ginny sleep in Harry's bed was that Hermione was already fresh out of the shower and snuggled deep under his blanket, ready for him to join her.
So with a warning look at his best mate and his younger sister, Ron turned back to Hermione and she felt warmth bloom in her chest as his expression shifted the moment he saw her there in his bed. It went from nervous and protective to loving and concerned in an instant, and knowing that the look was reserved for her made her feel like the luckiest girl in the world.
Ron tucked her into his chest, wrapping his long arms around her much tinier body, fitting the top of her head underneath his chin comfortably. He could feel her breath ghosting over his neck, coming slower and deeper with each passing minute. It wasn't long before he knew she was definitely asleep, and he closed his eyes as well, only content to fall asleep after he made sure she was okay.
"Ron?" Hermione whispered into Ron's chest.
Immediately, she felt his arms tighten around her, but he didn't respond.
"Ron," she repeated, more urgently this time. A constant trembling had shaken Hermione from her sleep, and she had realized that it was Ron, but he wasn't awake. She was no stranger to nightmares, and all she wanted was for him to wake up from it.
As slow as she could manage, Hermione tried to unwrap his arms from her waist. That woke him up, and Ron squeezed her around her middle once more in an effort to keep her exactly where she was.
"Where are you going?" he asked quietly into her hair.
She shook her head. "I wasn't going anywhere. I was trying to wake you up. I thought. . ." She paused. "I thought you were having a nightmare. The shaking. . ."
Ron leaned his head back to look at her face as he let her go. Hermione rolled over onto her back and breathed in deeply as she let him study her. She wasn't facing him so she couldn't see him, but she could feel the way his eyes were slowly traveling over her. It was the middle of the night and it was dark, but Hermione had always felt attuned to Ron. She could tell him apart from anyone else blindfolded.
His hand found hers underneath the blanket and tangled their fingers together. Hermione felt an immediate sense of comfort when he touched her and her body relaxed automatically. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked hesitantly without looking at him. She had a feeling she knew what the answer was going to be. She knew how horrifying nightmares could be when they were just memories coming back to haunt you. She remembered how Ron had stayed up with her for hours after the awful incident at Malfoy Manor, and smiled softly despite herself and their situation.
"Not really," he admitted, and Hermione wasn't surprised.
"Okay," she whispered, turning back on her side and fitting herself into his body.
Ron wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed the top of her head once more before they fell silent again.
The night was scarily still and quiet. She wasn't used to being able to sleep without feeling so peaceful. For the past ten months, they had been living in constant fear, taking turns to watch outside their tent for anyone looking to kidnap them. Hermione shuddered unconsciously and tried her best to push those awful memories out of her mind. She never wanted to experience that kind of fear ever again.
Ron noticed her sudden tremor and asked her quietly if she was okay.
Hermione shrugged without answering and then Ron knew immediately she was not alright. He let go of her and sat up in his bed, dragging her with him. "Come on. Tell me what's wrong."
She couldn't help it; she smiled. He didn't want to tell her of his nightmares so she wouldn't worry, but he was always insisting on helping her with her own.
"I just. . ." Taking a deep breath, she started over once she got her thoughts in order. "I don't feel like it's over. I feel like tomorrow, I'm going to wake up and Voldemort is still going to be in charge of the Wizarding World, the Death Eaters will still be looking for us while we're on the run, and everybody else. . .they'll still be alive, but they'll be living in fear just like we all were this whole past year."
Ron sighed and hugged her tightly. She knew he was trying to stay strong for her, but Hermione wished he wouldn't hold his grief in. He had lost his brother tonight and he was still asking if she was okay.
"It's over, Hermione," he told her firmly. He gripped her shoulders in his hands and Hermione had never been so glad to have him close to her. "I promise. And when we wake up tomorrow, everything will be. . .well, not fine, but we'll get there."
Hermione lowered her eyes as she asked, "Are you okay, Ron?"
Even in the dark, she saw his eyes tighten, his lips press together. His whole body tensed and his hands on her shoulders tightened their hold. He shook his head silently and Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck. The hug was the only thing she could do for him now. She had no other way to comfort him. She had no idea how it felt to lose an immediate member of your family for good. At least there was a chance she could bring her parents back, but not Fred.
He buried his head in her neck and she heard a quiet sob leave his mouth. Hermione's chest constricted painfully at hearing the sound, holding him tighter to her. She stroked his soft hair and just let him cry. He deserved that much after what he'd been through. They all did.
"Hermione," he said shakily.
"It's okay," she replied. She let go of him and looked him in the eye before giving him a soft kiss on the cheek.
He sniffed once and wiped his eyes from the tears that had made their first appearance yet since the end of the battle and slowly leaned in to give her a quick kiss on her lips. Hermione smiled at him and bit her lip nervously, feeling very aware of their position. But it was wrong to think like that now, of course. She couldn't do that; she wouldn't.
"It's okay," she repeated once more. "I'm here for you. Your family's here for you. Harry's here for you. We're not going to leave you, I promise. Whatever you need, I'll be here for you and I'm not going to leave your side until you're begging me to get out of your sight." The words pained her to say, but it needed to be said. She'd give Ron whatever he needed no matter what it was.
Ron let out a desperate sort of sound and pulled her to him, kissing her full on the lips fiercely. Hermione was shocked but quickly adjusted. This was their third kiss and she still couldn't get over the softness of his lips. She doubted she ever would. Her hand once more reached up to grasp his hair and pull him closer to her. He wouldn't ever be close enough to her. Ron made another noise in the back of his throat as he tangled his fingers in her hair as well, but it was all over when he pulled back from her and rested his forehead against hers.
"Never," he gasped, out of breath. "I will never tell you to leave my sight. I don't want you to. For as long as I live, I want you here with me. I don't care how, I don't care in what way. As long as I know you're there, it's going to be okay."
Hermione's eyes welled up with tears and she sniffed quickly before framing his face with her hands. "Always," she promised. "I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, or next week, or next year, even ten years from now. But if you'll have me, I will always be with you." She laced their fingers together and kissed again, moving her lips along with his in a steady and slow rhythm that seemed to be leading nowhere and everywhere at the same time. Hermione didn't know if this kiss was going to go farther or not, and at the moment, it seemed perfectly okay.
They didn't need to know everything now. They didn't even need to have a clue as to the direction their lives would go through when they woke up the next morning. For now, they had each other, and that was everything. Their support, love, consideration and not sympathy but empathy. It meant more than a thousand words could ever say.
Ron trailed his lips from her lips to her cheek and made a path to her neck, resuming his previous position. She could still feel the tears that had stopped flowing but had still left tracks on his face. Hermione wiped them away with her thumbs and smiled at him warmly. She was so in love and she didn't know how it happened. It was as if one day, Ron was just another one of her two best friends, always there to annoy her and make her laugh at the same time. But then she just woke up and it was like he was a new person. He was Ron, and Hermione Granger was in love with him.
Now, holding him and kissing him and just being with him, was more than she had ever expected to get. Years of caring, years of feeling without saying, of holding it in for the sake of Harry and their friendship. . .they meant nothing now. She was free to do all that she had wished to do for the longest time.
"Hermione," he whispered into her skin. She moved her body so they were both laying on their sides and looked up at his blue eyes. In the dark, she could definitely see the color faintly. They were so clear and bright. She was fascinated by his eyes; she was sure she was in danger of falling into them and losing herself in their depths if she stared for too long.
"We should get some sleep," he continued, and Hermione nodded.
There would be time for everything later: Talks and laughs, kisses and hugs, maybe even more if they made it. Hermione had no doubt that they would definitely make it. They couldn't break after everything they've been through. They could talk for minutes, hours, days, even years if they wished. They had all the time in the world now, splayed out before them like an endless stretch of road. She had seen a road like that only a few months ago, but this was different. Where that had held promises of death and despair, stress and misery, this one was full of promise and hope for the future. Hermione was so ready to jump right into it with the person she loved more than anyone else.
"Goodnight, Ron," Hermione said softly as she snuggled back into his chest and let him curve his body around hers protectively as they both drifted back to a sleep more peaceful than anything they could remember.
So peaceful, in fact, that she didn't want to even move when she opened her eyes a few hours later. She was warm and comfortable, and so Hermione, glancing up at Ron's sleeping face, closed her eyes again and prayed for a few more minutes, or hours, before she would have to face the wreckage of the battle downstairs.
And right when she was on the brink of sleep, when Ginny drew back the curtains of the bed she'd shared with Harry the previous night, she could have sworn she heard her mutter something to Harry beside her, but it might have just been her imagination. It sounded strangely like "About time, don't you think?"