A/N: Eleventh in my missing moments series. Harry spent a half hour in Snape's memory and another half hour looking for Voldemort in the Forbidden Forest. What were Ron and Hermione doing? Other than mourning for Fred?
Shelly Note: FRED'S NOT DEAD, HE'S SLEEPING! SHUT UP!
Additional A/N: SIRIUS ISN'T DEAD, HE'S HIDING BEHIND THE VEIL!! SHUT UP, JD!!
"The house tables were gone and the room was crowded. The survivors stood in groups, their arms around each other's necks. The injured were being treated up on the raised platform by Madam Pomfrey and a group of helpers…
The dead lay in a row in the middle of the hall. Harry could not see Fred's body, because his family surrounded him. George was kneeling at his head; Mrs Weasley was lying across Fred's chest, her body shaking, Mr Weasley stroking her hair while tears cascaded down his cheeks.
Without a word to Harry, Ron and Hermione walked away. Harry saw Hermione approach Ginny, whose face was swollen and blotchy, and hug her. Ron joined Bill, Fleur and Percy, who flung an arm around Ron's shoulders." (DH, pg 530-531, UK edition)
"'Harry Potter is dead. He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you lay down your lives for him. We bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone.
'The battle is won. You have lost half of your fighters. My Death Eaters outnumber you and the Boy Who Lived is finished. There must be no more war. Anyone who continues to resist, man, woman or child, will be slaughtered, as will every member of their family. Come out of the castle, now, and kneel before me, and you shall be spared. Your parents and children, brothers and sisters will live, and be forgiven, and you will join me in the new world we shall build together.'
There was silence in the grounds and from the castle. Voldemort was so close to him that Harry did not dare open his eyes again.
'Come,' said Voldemort, and Harry heard him move ahead, and Hagrid was forced to follow. Now Harry opened his eyes a fraction, and saw Voldemort striding in front of them, wearing the great snake Nagini around his shoulders, who was now free of her enchanted cage. But Harry had no possibility of extracting the wand concealed under his robes without being noticed by the Death Eaters who marched on wither side of them through the slowly lightening darkness…
…Harry shut his eyes tight again. He knew that they were approaching the castle …" (DH, pg 583-584, UK edition)
What I'm Here For
Percy flung his arm around Ron's shoulders and pulled him close, sobbing. Ron could feel the tears starting in his eyes and let one fall. He glanced across Fred's body at Hermione, who was holding Ginny close, rubbing her back gently. A tear fell down Hermione's cheek as she whispered something in Ginny's ear and Ron sniffled slightly and looked over at Percy, who was using Ron to hold himself up as he sobbed.
'I was such an arse,' he all but wailed. 'I don't even know if he forgave me!'
Ron gripped Percy's shoulder.
'He tried to make a joke about you,' he replied thickly. 'He forgave you, Perce.'
Hermione had walked over with Ginny, who collapsed onto Ron as well, hugging him and crying. Ron let Percy's shoulder go and wrapped his arm around Ginny, hugging her close while still holding Percy up. He glanced over at Hermione, who was standing behind George and crying silently, hugging herself. Ron was tempted to drop his siblings and hold Hermione, but knew that he shouldn't. Instead, he watched as his father stood and walked over to Hermione, hugging her. Hermione hugged him back, murmuring something that Ron couldn't make out.
Ron sighed and looked down at Ginny, who was taking shuddering breaths, and then to Percy, who had taken his arm back and was hugging Bill. Ron looked back over at Hermione who was watching him with a sympathetic look on her face before turning around. He sighed and slowly dropped his gaze back down to Ginny, who was watching him.
'Go on,' she said thickly. 'Go to her; I know you want to.'
Ron placed a kiss on top of Ginny's head and Ginny took a step back. Ron strode over to Hermione, who turned and hugged him close to her. Ron held her and felt as her body shook violently with tears. He stroked her hair gently and Hermione gripped the front of his jacket. He pressed his cheek against the top of her head and closed his eyes, not caring who saw what was happening.
'Will you be OK?' she mumbled into his chest.
Ron nodded and kept his eyes closed; he knew that if he opened them, other people would be around and with his eyes closed, it felt like it was only him and Hermione.
'Eventually,' he whispered hoarsely. 'I won't be able to get through this alone, though.'
'That's what I'm here for,' she whispered.
Ron opened his eyes a crack and lightly placed a kiss on the top of her head. Hermione brought him closer to her and he gripped her shirt, finally letting the tears fall. His forehead was resting on the top of her head, his nose pressing against her forehead, his tears dripping onto her face. She didn't seem to mind and they stayed like that for several minutes.
'Fred would take the mickey out of us if he saw us like this,' Ron murmured after a bit.
Hermione laughed slightly but the two remained in the same position.
'I have to talk to you,' he whispered after five minutes or so.
Hermione looked up at him and he ran his thumb over her cheekbone, wiping the tears away. She sniffled.
'What about?' she asked him.
Ron gripped her hand in his and gently tugged her into a corner. He looked right her and took a breath to steady his racing heart.
This is completely inappropriate.
She needs to know.
It's inappropriate!
I can't have her die and not have told her! Anything goes now; it's too late to wait for the right time.
'Ron?' she asked softly.
Ron cupped her face.
'I realise that this is completely and utterly inappropriate right now, but I can't have something happen to either of us and have you not know,' he mumbled.
Hermione's eyes widened and Ron swallowed and continued.
'Hermione Granger, I am completely in love with you, and if you die tonight, I'd never have forgiven myself if I hadn't told you.'
Hermione sighed, closed her eyes and shook her head.
'Why?' she asked. 'Why now, Ronald? Why not down in the Chamber of Secrets? Or when we were riding that damned dragon through the air and we had nothing to talk about? Why did you have to choose now, after everything?'
Ron blinked and cleared his throat.
'Not exactly the response I was hoping for,' he muttered, hanging his head.
Hermione sighed again and lifted her hands to his face, lifting it slightly so she could look him in the eye.
'Ron –'
'Look, Hermione if you don't feel the same, just tell me, OK?' he asked sharply.
Hermione dropped her hands from his face.
'Do you honestly think I don't feel the same? Is that the vibe you're getting, Ronald?' she asked, her voice low and full of hurt.
Ron looked into her eyes -- her wide, beautiful eyes that always gave her away – and sighed.
'Well, I just … I basically opened my heart up to you and you just … ignore it and worry about the timing? I just … I dunno, Hermione.'
Ron watched as Hermione's eyes filled with tears and he immediately regretted his recent words.
'What did you expect of me, Ron?' she asked. 'Did you expect me to throw myself at you and start kissing any part of you that I could reach? Because if you did, you obviously do not know me, Ronald Weasley and –'
He couldn't help it; her eyes might have been filled with tears, but they were filled with fire, too. The fire that he had seen a great many times when they would yell and scream at each other in the Gryffindor Common Room year after year. He had always wanted to kiss her whenever they fought, and now he finally had the chance. His lips pressed firmly against hers, and she stopped mid-sentence and melted into his arms, her hands grabbing at the front of his jacket to pull him closer.
'Damn you,' she breathed against his lips when they broke apart; she was breathing heavily and her eyes were closed. Ron grinned and brushed back some of her hair. 'I do feel the same, Ron,' Hermione whispered, opening her eyes slowly. 'I love you; I just wish you had chosen a better time to tell me.'
Ron took a shuddering breath and pressed his lips to her forehead.
'I tried to tell you at Shell Cottage, but then Harry showed up and the Dobby thing happened and we were just so incredibly busy trying to plan and Griphook wouldn't leave us be, let alone Harry and I just … I wanted to tell you so badly. And I honestly didn't expect you to throw yourself at me,' he said. 'Why would I? It's not something you'd do. But I expected a better reaction than 'Why?' y'know?'
Hermione placed her head on his shoulder and hugged him, closing her eyes.
'I'm sorry,' she whispered. 'You're right; it was a slightly inappropriate response.'
'Slightly?'
'Don't push it, Ronald,' Hermione growled.
Ron grinned and held her as close as possible, closing his eyes and inhaling slowly, memorising the scent of her hair; faintly coconut with the much stronger smell of grime and dirt from the ride up and down the pipe to the Chamber of Secrets, not to mention the dust that clung to her hair from the breakout from Gringotts that mingled with the smell of the dirty water that they had plunged into when they dropped off of the dragon's back. Honestly, he couldn't care less what her hair smelled like; she knew he loved her, and he knew she felt the same and that was more than enough to make sure he made it out of this alive.
Ron was halfway across the room, helping with the moving of the deceased while she was on the platform with Madam Pomfrey, helping heal the wounded. Her healing spells were slightly rusty since she had been relying mainly on the Essence of Dittany to do all the work, but after a few practise trials, Hermione was more or less flying through patients aided with Bellatrix Lestrange's wand and what was left of the dittany she had in her bag. Ron sent her a smile whenever their eyes locked and Hermione would smile back, feeling her heart float and her stomach flip delightedly.
'You can be with him when this is all over, Ms Granger. Now please; focus!' Pomfrey hissed at Hermione on her way by.
Hermione felt her cheeks burst into flame and she turned to an injured sixth year whom she had never met before and started to heal the girl's broken ankle.
'Miss him already?'
Hermione looked up at the girl, who was smiling slightly. Hermione cleared her throat slightly.
'I'm sorry?' she asked.
The girl gave a tiny laugh that sounded as though she were afraid to laugh considering the current condition of things.
'Ron Weasley,' she said. 'You miss him already?'
Hermione took a breath and glanced over her shoulder to see Ron helping Oliver Wood with an Auror. She turned back to the girl and nodded.
'Yeah, I do.'
'But he's right there.'
Hermione smiled and looked up at the girl.
'You've never been in love, have you?' she asked her.
The girl shook her head.
'No; I haven't been that fortunate yet,' she said. 'But I can see why you like him; he's really good-looking.'
Hermione laughed.
'He is extremely handsome. But it's so much more than that. He just … we know each other so well because we started as best friends,' she said, pointing the wand at the girl's ankle. She muttered the healing spell before continuing. 'We know everything about each other and a half hour ago, we confessed that we were in love with each other. Now or never, right?'
The girl nodded and Hermione sighed.
'Give that a couple minutes and then you can stand again. If it hurts, let me know immediately, OK?' said Hermione.
The girl nodded again.
'Thanks,' she said.
Hermione smiled.
'Not a problem,' she said before turning and scanning the room for Ron.
'Where's Harry?' Hermione asked, looking around.
Ron looked at her, his eyes wide.
'You haven't seen him either?' he asked.
Hermione shook her head, her eyes widening as well.
If he's not here and no one's seen him, did he …?
No, Voldemort would have made an announcement about how Harry had walked right into his hands.
Then where is he?
Hermione looked around again in a fruitless attempt to find Harry. Neville passed her and she reached out and gripped his arm.
'Neville!' she exclaimed. 'Neville, have you seen Harry?'
Neville nodded.
'He passed me about a half hour ago, told me about Voldemort's snake that needed to die no matter what,' he said.
'Where was this, Neville?'
'At the front doors,' said Neville.
Hermione's eyes widened and she looked over at Ron.
'He's giving himself up,' she whispered. 'He's sacrificing himself. We haven't even destroyed the other Horcruxes yet; he won't have a chance.'
Ron blanched and opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted.
'Harry Potter is dead. He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you lay down your lives for him. We bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone.
'The battle is won. You have lost half of your fighters. My Death Eaters outnumber you and the Boy Who Lived is finished. There must be no more war. Anyone who continues to resist, man, woman or child, will be slaughtered, as will every member of their family. Come out of the castle, now, and kneel before me, and you shall be spared. Your parents and children, brothers and sisters will live, and be forgiven, and you will join me in the new world we shall build together.'
Hermione looked at Ron fearfully. Ron pulled her close and kissed her forehead.
'No way,' he murmured. 'No way; that's not Harry. It's not something he would do.'
Hermione pulled back.
'And if he is dead? Who will destroy Voldemort?' she asked.
Ron took a breath and drew his wand.
'I don't know, but I don't believe that Harry's dead,' he said.
Hermione drew her wand as well and Ron quickly pressed his lips to hers.
'Love you,' he whispered.
Hermione blew out the breath she had been holding.
'I love you too,' she whispered back.
They walked out of the castle to fight.
Fin