He should be here. He wasn't in the library or the astronomy tower. This is the last check point. What am I going to do?
"Where have you been?" he whispered. I jump out of my skin. Never in my short life have I ever been so scared, nervous and happy at the same time.
"I was so scared. I didn't know where else to go." I said as I look him over for injuries. That's when I saw the blood. A lot of blood. I immediately choke on my words. My hands start to shake. I stare at him, waiting for him to say something. All he does is smile. That same goofy, lop-sided smile that hooked me in third year.
"It's not as bad as it looks. Most of it isn't mine anyways. Just a scratch really." He is trying to calm me down but it isn't working. I tear his shirt open. He's right, it really is just a scratch. How dare he scare me like that! He should know better by now than to treat me like this.
"Oppugno!" I scream as tears roll off my cheeks.
With a flick of his blood soaked wrist he blocks my birds. Again, he smiles at me.
"Why are you smiling at me?" I squeeze out.
"Because I love you, Hermione. And I just now plucked up the courage to say it out loud." He says almost with a laugh.
"Really, this is the moment you choose to tell me how you feel? After all these years….." I stop. His words finally hit me. He loves me. Ron Weasley loves me. He didn't even say "like a sister."
I fall back and slouch down the wall behind me. I have waited years for him to say it first. He chooses the moment when I thought I was going to lose him. I thought he was dying in front of me.
"Well, I love you too, Ron." I squeak out.
He slides over and put his arm around my shoulder. I don't even feel the weight. It's like it was made to fit my body. I bury my head in the crook of his neck. I breathe in an aroma of blood, sweat and him. I love the way he smells most of all.
"I'm sorry I blurted it out. I was thinking about what would have happened if I didn't make it tonight, you know, if I died and never told you. I had to get it out before I lost my nerve."
"Ronald, I've always known that you loved me, I just needed to hear you say it."
I'm still shaking, but now it's for another reason. I'm cold from the night air. The boathouse has a terrible draft off the lake.
"Is it safe to go back to the castle?" he asks. He has been fighting for hours and hasn't heard the news yet.
"Yes, it is. It's all over. Voldemort is gone for good. Harry killed him." I answered.
He starts to laugh. Not just a giggle but a full body laugh. I don't think I have ever seen him so happy. I watch as the relief spreads over his body. Every fear he has about losing his family, losing me, washes away.
"Let's go find Harry. I need to tell Harry what I said. He is never going to believe this."
As we stand up, he stops. Ron turns around and pulls me in. His body is hot, pure heat. I take a deep breathe, trying to breath in every bit of him I can. While my eyes are closed, I feel his lips on mine. Soft and strong. Just like my dreams. I feel the earth spin and we both lose our balance.
"Wow," I whisper.
"Wow," he replies.