After the fight
Some hours have past since Voldemort was killed. The sun has risen over the castle. The hospital wing is full with injured students and others. The Death Eaters, who are still alive, have been taken to Sankt Mungos hospital or Azkaban.
Hermione lies in her old bed in the dormitory in the Gryffindor tower. She's been trying to sleep for an hour or two, but can't fall asleep. Too many thoughts are rushing through her head. About everything. The fight. Voldemort. All the killed and injured. Harry. And above all, thoughts about Ron.
Oh, and that kiss! It feels like it was days ago, but she can still feel the warmth from his soft lips pushed against her.
She wonders what he is doing now. Crying over Fred's dead body, together with the rest of the Weasley family? Or is he, like herself, lying in bed, trying to sleep? Maybe he is talking to Harry about what has happened the last day and night.
Hermione sits up. She doesn't understand why she went to bed at all. She should be with Harry and Ron. Especially Ron. Just be near him. Holding his hand or hug him. Just anything. See with own eyes that he really is alive.
She sneaks out of the dormitory. Parvati doesn't wake up, and Lavender lies in the hospital wing. The common room is empty. She first goes to the boys dormitories. Neither Ron nor Harry is there, just Dean, Neville and Seamus. They are all asleep. She strokes Neville's cheek and then she goes down to the Great Hall.
- Why aren't you sleeping, miss Granger? Professor McGonagall asks. She looks more tired than Hermione has ever seen her.
- I can´t, she answers. She looks around the hall. It really looks miserable. Crushed windows, blood spots on the floor and broken furniture. But no Ron, and no Harry. She asks professor McGonagall whether she knows where they are.
- I saw them leaving with Hagrid a hour ago. Maybe they are in his cabin.
Hermione walks out of the castle. She takes deep breaths and feels the fresh air in her lungs. Everything seem so peaceful. The birds are singing, they don't know anything about what happened in the castle that night. Hermione walks down to Hagrid's cabin. The door is open and on the doorstep, Hagrid sits with Fang's head lying in his knee.
- Guess yeh're lookin' fer Harry an' Ron, aren't yeh, Hermione? They're by the lake.
- Thanks, Hagrid. How are you?
- Me just fine, he says and smiles. Off yeh go.
Some minutes later she sees them, sitting under a big oak. Harry holds an arm around Rons back. Ron cries heartbreakingly. Harry sees her before he does.
- Good morning, Hermione, he says and smiles tiredly against her. Been able to sleep anything, have you?
- No, I haven't. She sits down on Ron's other side and puts both her arms around him.
- I'll go and find Ginny, Harry says and walks off.
- I'm so sorry, Ron, Hermione whispers and strokes his cheek. They are wet. He's been crying for a good while and now he cries even more against her shoulder. She starts to cry, too. Fred died like a hero, but that doesn't make his death less sad, not at all. Life is so unfair. He and George have almost become like her big brothers.
She doesn't know for how long they have been sitting there, holding each other. But after a while, they stop crying.
- I need to tell you something, he says, wiping his cheeks with his hand.
- Me too.
- I love you.
- Love you, too. They kiss each other, again, and again.