And there will come a time, you'll see, with no more tears.

And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears.
Get over your hill and see what you find there,
With grace in your heart and flowers in your hair

-After the Storm, Mumford and Sons

February 1999

It had been just over eight months since the day that Harry Potter had defeated Lord Voldemort and saved the Wizarding World. It had seemed that after both celebration and mourning, the world of magic had returned to a pleasant and happy state. But in a small quaint home called the Burrow, just near Ottery St. Catchpole, one particular wizard was less than happy.

Ronald Weasley stood at the base of the stairs in his childhood home. He watched as the last of the green flames from the fireplace disappeared. With the flames went the only girl he had ever loved. Just a month ago we were happy he thought. But now, Hermione Granger had left with no guarantee she was coming back. Ron slowly went over the last few months in his head. He thought of the month right after the war, how it had been filled with grief from the death of his brother, but also how Hermione had been always at his side. He remembered the golden months after that, too. Those months spent at the burrow hiding from the real world that knew them as heroes. Ron went over the thoughts swirling in his head, and smiled as his mind settled on Hermione's Birthday that September. That night was one spent together in a sea of promises and close embraces. It was the first night of many like that. Thinking of that, Ron felt hot tears prick his eyes. He remembered waking up with his head buried in the smell of her hair. He could hear her whispering I've always loved you just as the sun rose. Thinking of that memory made him feel empty, he couldn't bare the fact that she was gone. Ron snapped back to reality as he felt a tear slide down his cheek.

Almost a month and a half after that day in Ron's memory, Ron had received an owl from Hermione.

I fainted in the interview. They said I looked sick, they knew it wasn't because of nerves. They promised me I could reschedule if I went to St. Mungo's immediately. I came back to the burrow to write you this; I don't want to go without you.

-H

Ps. Don't tell your family. Just… come as soon as you can.

Ron was at Hogwarts when he received the letter. He had been helping rebuild portions of the castle since the war. He knew Hermione had her interview at the Ministry for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures today, and knew she threw up in the morning and wasn't feeling well. He quickly scrawled a note to Professor Flitwick and Floo-ed to the Burrow. He went up to his room to find Hermione hugging her knees and looking out the window, facing away from him. "How are you feeling?" He asked quietly, making sure not to scare her. She gasped as if she hadn't heard him come in. He noticed her eyes were puffy and red. "Look 'mione, I know that you're sad you missed your interview, but it's not like they're gonna not give you the job. You're the best student to go through Hogwarts this decade! Not to mention you just helped defeat the greatest dark wizard of all time."

"Oh my god" Hermione stated, exasperated. "You really have no clue?"She looked at him, almost hurt.

"Hermione, I think you just have a bug. Now if we could just get to Mungo's I'm sure they could—"she cut him off.

"I'm pregnant." She whispered. She looked similar to a lost child. Ron, however, looked like a dementor had attacked him.

A string of syllables came out of Ron's mouth, but they didn't form any clear words until he muttered "but… how?"

Hermione got up off the bed and started pacing around him. "Are you really that thick, Ron? You know perfectly well how it happened! I'd stop worrying about how you actually impregnated me and start worrying what the hell are we are going to do?" Ron was progressively becoming more and more pale as she went on, "Babies take time! We don't have time, Ron! We have our lives ahead of us! How could we have screwed it up this bad, Ron? What will your parents say? What will my parents say? I can just see the Daily Prophet's headline now 'Smartest Witch of Her Age Isn't Smart Enough to Use Contraceptive Charm'. Oh, I'll bet Rita Skeeter will have a field day with that one!" She was now crying, but didn't seem to realize it. She felt the room spinning as she paced back and forth. Suddenly she felt strong arms catch her as she sank down to the floor. They sat there crying on the floor of Ron's childhood room, neither of them knowing what to say or do.

Ron noticed the sun had started to come up. He must have been sitting on the stairs for at least an hour. He had thought Hermione left around 3am. He left to go up to his room, but he eyed the doorknob next to his. He opened it slowly, and to no surprise, found it empty. Ron knew Hermione had taken everything even though he hoped to believe differently. He lay down on her bed (which she only slept in occasionally) and sighed. Her pillows still smelled faintly like her perfume. Before he knew it, he was asleep.

Ron and Hermione agreed to not tell Molly and Arthur about the baby until after the holidays. They had both left to travel Europe and stay in Romania with Ron's brother, Charlie, in September just after Ginny had left for her seventh year at Hogwarts. They had promised to return for Thanksgiving, and the last thing Ron or Hermione wanted was to have the whole Weasley family fighting at Christmas, so they decided to tell them just after New Years.

Hermione made the decision to tell her parents sooner. She figured even if her child wasn't raised in the muggle world, her mother could support her through the pregnancy. Ron had agreed that Hermione should tell them alone since he had scarcely met them three times. He also agreed to formally introduce himself and get to know them after the initial shock. However, Ron never got that chance. Hermione's parents did not react according to plan. They told her she was going to throw her life away and she should have an abortion. Although Hermione had considered it, she had come to the conclusion that since her baby would have a good life (it would have two parents, a home, and money) there was no reason not to have it, except for her own life and goals which would be put on hold. Hermione's parents then informed her that she was disowned from them, leaving her heartbroken and scared for the Weasley's reactions.

Thanksgiving went by without any notice of what Hermione was hiding, and Christmas was similar (though Hermione had started wearing her robes a bit baggier). The couple stayed very private with their relationship, never conversing much with the others. Christmas eve, Ron gave Hermione her Christmas present, a Chudley Cannons onesie for the baby. Hermione in turn gave Ron a wizarding parenting book and a baby sweater she knitted in Gryffindor scarlet, with a golden W for Weasley in the center. They made sure to hide the presents deep in the bottom of their trunks.

After new years they knew they couldn't put it off much longer. Hermione was showing in any tight shirt now, and she couldn't hide much longer. (She had noticed a couple glances from Ginny over the holiday but Hermione had carefully avoided any chance of them being alone to discuss the matter). However, it was just a couple of days after the New Year when she woke up to her bed sheets spotted with blood. Without another though, Ron grabbed the portkey for St. Mungo's, both of them scared for what this may mean for their child.

Hermione and Ron decided to never tell the Weasley's about the baby. Ron sent his parents an owl the night they stayed in the hospital after the miscarriage, saying they spent the night at her parents. But after they lost the baby, neither of them were the same. They never talked, and the only time they were close was when Ron would hold Hermione when she cried herself to sleep. They were increasingly bitter and further retreated into their futures- which they would have both gladly given up to have a child.

Ron awoke in Hermione's old bed the next morning. He felt broken. He could not concentrate on anything but the events of the night before. He looked out at the sun, which was glowing the way it always did in the cold morning. It was snowing, but not hard. He didn't mutter a thing as he bundled up and headed to the quidditch pitch.

The previous night, Hermione had found a letter from the Chudley Cannons Team Sponsor, inviting him to training camp that spring. Ron was initially shocked at her reaction.

"Ron, why didn't you tell me?" she said, forcing a smile.

"You know... I just hadn't decided if I wanted to do it yet. I'd be gone for training for a couple weeks." He said, watching her cautiously.

"It's good, perfect! I was thinking of, uh, going away for a bit too. I don't know I think we need a bit of time apart." She said nervously, never making eye contact with him.

"What are you on about 'mione?" Ron said in disbelief.

"Two years. They offered me two years." She still wouldn't make eye contact with him. She stared down at her feet.

"Two years? Doing what?"

"Travelling. Magical Creatures vary upon their regions and cultures, as do the way they are treated." She still stared at the ground.

"Two…years? That's a long time, 'mione." Ron sighed.

"We need time apart. We obviously both need time to prepare us for our careers, I just can't do this anymore, Ron" She said starting to move about the room.

"Can't do what anymore? What can't you bloody do? You can't possibly be serious about this?"

She started muttering "It all happened so fast, the war, then us, my parents, the baby… who am I anymore, Ron?" and to that he didn't have an answer. "I just need time. Please, Ron" She finally looked him in the eye.

He was becoming more and more hurt. "I loved you! I still love you, please, don't…"

"We need to move on! Don't you understand? We both have to have careers, have lives…"

"Where is this coming from, 'mione? You just want to leave? Well, fine! Leave!"

"Ron… it's not like that, please, just give me time" She had tears in her eyes, but he knew she wasn't going to stay.

"Go on, then! You don't want to be here any more, what's stopping you? Cause I'm certainly not."

"Ron…." He could tell he hurt her, he didn't know what he would do if she left but he didn't know a way to make her possibly stay. He left the room when he saw her start to pack up. He went outside in the cold winter air letting the chill bite his skin. Minutes later he heard her voice through the door. "I leave next week, it's two years travelling in the Middle East and Asia, maybe even Africa depending on how long I want to continue… I'll write to you, okay?" Her voice sounded forced, almost choking near the end. Ron swallowed hard and followed her inside.

Ron stood by the stairs as she loaded everything into the fireplace. She looked back at him, but he didn't have anything to say to her. He could only form one word, go. And she went.

Ron took one last spin around the quidditch pitch. He didn't bother telling his family where Hermione had gone as he saw them at the breakfast table. He went up to his room, found the paper from the Cannons' sponsor, and then found the page underneath it that Hermione had missed the night before. He signed them both and sealed the envelope. He sent it off with Pig, hoping it would get there in time to get confirmation from them that day.

He didn't know exactly how he felt about signing the three-year contract with the Chudley Cannons, but he thought that perhaps, it might resemble moving on.