p Because You Loved Me

p By: TheRowlingPierceWriter

p D/C: J.K. Rowling owns everything but the plot and the song, which is Diane Warren/Celine Dion.

p A/N: I strongly suggest you don't read this if you don't like R/H. Fluff abounds! –TheRowlingPierceWriter

p i To Ron, On Our Fifth Anniversary

p I'd known for a while then. Hard not to: you made it so blatantly obvious. You, Ron Weasley, love me. You had been trying to tell me since our fourth year, and it took me a few months to figure out what all your furtive glances and jealousy meant. I'd done a lot of thinking over the summer, because Viktor canceled our plans for Bulgaria ("I'm so sorry, Herm-own-ninny, but I've Quidditch practice all day now, I hope ve can still be friends…" Stupid bastard) and well, I had a lot of time on my hands.

p ~For all those times when you stood by me/For all the truth you made me see~

p It was a pip to process, I'll tell you that. My best friend, in love with me? It seemed impossible, shocking, even. And then, of course, I had to figure out how I would react to you, how I would let you down, break your heart…

p ~For all the joy you brought to my life/For all the wrong that you made right~

p I felt horrible guilt at this, obviously. I thought myself to be what that horrible reporter made me look like: a scarlet woman. Tearing up dreams, unrequiting love, Hermione Weasley, temptress (only I was Hermione Granger back then.)

p ~For every dream you made come true/For all the love I found in you~

p By September, I was one big mess, unable to look you in the face or hear the sound of your voice without experiencing pangs of guilt from my ever-present conscience. It started to weigh down on me, like a report I couldn't finish. Every day, you would look at me with pleading eyes, and I would think, 'Why can't I just tell you?' And that's when it hit me: I couldn't tell you that I didn't love you…because did. My conscience wasn't reprimanding me for not confessing that I didn't feel for you, it was chastising me for being in denial and losing precious time with the one I love.

p ~I'll be forever thankful baby/You're the one who held me up~

p Since then, the tables had turned. No longer did I lie awake nights, wanting but not wanting to say that I was sorry, Ron, I just wasn't returning your ardor…simply, the thought of your playful, teasing gaze could render me speechless those days.

p ~Never let me fall/You're the one who saw me through~

p We were hopelessly, helplessly, crazily, undeniably, completely and totally in love…we just couldn't flat-out say it to one another. Months passed that way, us trapped in a circle that neither could break, leaving us with the emotions inside and the interminable winter nights. Torture.

p Fortunately, a release came that December, when a (pre-planned?) meeting and a sprig of well-chosen shrubbery came to our rescue…

p ~Through it all/You were my strength when I was weak~

p You invited me to go to the library 'so we can work on the bloody essay Snape gave us last-minute,' and I agreed, never questioning your motives (smiling now, all these years later, I can't help but ponder if it wasn't you who planted that mischievous device in the hallway leading to the library.)

p We walked in silence, I remember, each thinking of a thousand things to say but never actually using any of them. My heart thudded just to be near you, my knees went weak as your smell (of Ivory soap) pervaded my senses. Sometimes you opened your mouth to speak and I had to question myself: were you steeling yourself to profess your undying love? Oh, if only you knew that every minute I did the very same!

p ~You were my voice when I couldn't speak/You were my eyes when I couldn't see~

p Nearer and nearer to the library we grew, and quieter as well. I wasn't really looking forward to going to the library, but having you near me made me see stars. I was thinking along those lines when you stopped and said, in a gruff voice, "Hermione, look up." Surprised at your sudden direction, I complied and looked at the doorway we were passing through. Mistletoe. Above us. I nearly fainted. So many feelings rushed through me-joy, confusion, fear of rejection. When I leveled my gaze again, you were inches from my face. You had turned white under your freckles, and your ears burned. Being so close to your irresistible periwinkle eyes made me shiver.

p ~You saw the best there was in me/Lifted me up when I couldn't reach~

p All of a sudden, terror washed over me. I had never kissed anyone before, not even that Bulgarian git. I had no idea how-I mean, I'd seen the movies, but then it just seemed as though two actors were trying to such each other's faces off. The only person I could ever envision myself doing it with was you, and even then it remained a distant dream until we could come to terms with our feelings.

p ~You gave me faith 'cause you believed/I'm everything I am~

p "I think this is where…we kiss." You sounded as frightened as I felt. Slowly, ever so slowly, we inclined our lips together. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do with my hands, so I just clasped them behind my back and closed my eyes, preparing for something catastrophic…what, I wasn't sure.

p Electricity rippled through my body from where we touched, igniting every nerve I had, sending me into a feverish pitch. Heat washed over me, enveloping me. All my worries faded away, my hands, of their own accord, twined around your neck, while yours circled my torso. I pulled you closer, ever so eager to feel the warmth of your being against mine. Submerged in desire, I trembled from all the sensations, defenseless in your arms…

p ~Because you loved me/You gave me wings and made me fly~

p Kissing you, in short, felt more incredibly right than anything I had ever done, like the angels in heaven had sent me to Earth just so I could fall into your grip and kiss you with everything I had. I never wanted the kiss to end, but all too soon you were pulling away and I had to relinquish you your lips.

p ~You touched my hand I could touch the sky/I lost my faith, you gave it back to me

p Any remorse I felt, however, melted away as soon as I opened my eyes. Your face, your perfect face, shined down on me, staggeringly full of love. Almost immediately I found myself with the decision of whether to kiss you again, and feel that wonderful passion, or drown myself in your eyes. It was no easy task, but you solved it for me by kissing me on the forehead: the best of both worlds. You proceeded down my face, raining kisses over my nose, my cheeks, endless…

p By that time, quite ready to kiss properly once more, I did the unexpected, pressing my lips firmly against yours without asking for any amount of permission whatsoever.

p ~You said no star was out of reach/You stood by me and I stood tall~

p "Merry Christmas, Hermione," you remarked when we parted. Gasping for breath, I smiled.

p "Merry Christmas." I replied, laying my head on your shoulder and letting the world pass me by, sure that nothing could ever again harm me if you stood by my side. "I love you, Ron," I added, my voice slightly muffled by your robes. You didn't have to say anything, I knew you loved me back.

p "And I love you," you replied, softly kissing my hair. I had to smile. How ironic that two shy fifteen-year-olds would find love over (or under) a bunch of leaves!

p ~I had our love I had it all/I'm grateful for each day you gave me~

p That's not true, I suppose. We found love at different times, we just chose to show it under a bunch of leaves. You are probably laughing as you read this. 'Poor, articulate Hermione!' You're thinking. 'The leaves don't matter!' And you're right. What matters is that I love you and that you love me, and we're two of those lucky people who find their soul mates. I can't go one single day without you, Ron, and if we were ever apart I would count down the seconds until we were together again. I would say that you have no idea the magnitude of my love for you…except when you kiss me, I can feel my love a hundredfold in your embrace.

p ~Maybe I don't know that much/But I know this much is true~

p Every time I wake up with you by my side I am pleasantly surprised to remember that the best thing I could imagine, one Ronald Weasley, has pledged to spend the rest of his days loving me, caring for me, being my one and only. Life has no purpose without you, Ron. I wouldn't be able to arise and face the world if you weren't here. You're my sunshine on a cloudy day, my star in the blackest of nights. You guide me and trust me, you give me all I could ask for and more, each day is like a wonderful dream…

p ~I was blessed because I was loved by you/You were my strength when I was weak~

p Today is our fifth anniversary. These past five years have been magic, and I wish only to prolong that magic past the end of my days, into paradise and beyond.

p ~You were my voice when I couldn't speak/You were my eyes when I couldn't see~

p Never be ashamed of who you are, my love. I will always love you, whatever you do or say. The rivers of my heart are swamped with my love for you, and I like it that way.

p ~You saw the best there was in me/Lifted me up when I couldn't reach~

p Never forget this, Ron.

p ~You gave me faith 'cause you believed~

p I

p ~I'm everything I am~

p love

p ~Because you loved me~

p you.

p Love always and forever, your wife,

p Hermione