One-Shot: You Saved My Life

Hermione Granger was hysterical. She and her friends were barely removed from the events at Malfoy Manor, and the love of her life had been tortured at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange.

She would never forget when he had sacrificed himself to spare her from the same fate. He had actually talked Bellatrix into taking him instead and leaving her be. Then, down in the cellar with Harry, she could hear his screams…horrible yells that ripped her insides apart.

It was a miracle that he was alive. Fleur's proclamation that he would live and be fine had been nothing short of a miracle.

Now, the door to Ron's room at Shell Cottage opened and Fleur was barely leaving before Hermione ran around her to Ron's beside.

He was bandaged on his head, his arm, around his torso, which was now bare of a shirt. Hermione had to fight not to be distracted by his broad, handsome chest muscles. Ron, meanwhile, did his best to sit up a little straighter upon seeing her.

"Hermione."

Hermione could only stare at him, speechless, her eyes welling up. Finally, she managed, "I'm so sorry!" and hugged him as best she could without hurting him.

"For what, this?" Ron chuckled. "I've been in worst scrapes than this. Can't think of any right now, but…"

Hermione knew this was a total lie, and he was only pretending to shrug his torture off to make her feel better. But, she would never feel better about this. There would be no forgiveness for herself. And would he forgive her?

She scooted on to the edge of the bed, resting against the headboard as she gazed down at him. Her tears returned with a vengeance, falling on Ron's upturned face.

"My poor darling," she whispered, not quite to herself, and she cradled Ron in her arms, his head resting in her lap. So consumed she was by her grief and concern for him, that she did not notice the look of pure elation on Ron's face – a look that seemed to convey he could die happy now, even if he (thank Merlin!) wasn't going to.

Hermione's sobs turned to sniffles, and she caressed a hand along Ron's face. He started, as if her rocking him had actually lulled him to sleep, and gazed up at her.

"You…you saved my life," she said softly.

"Rubbish." Ron waved her off. "You would've done the same for me." But Hermione didn't seem to hear him.

"You saved me from her," she echoed, now to herself. Turning back to Ron, a rush of adrenaline gave her the courage to do what she did next.

Hermione quickly dipped her head down and gave Ron the most passionate kiss she could muster, right on the lips. Ron's gasp of surprise quickly turned into a moan of pure joy, and he responded rather quickly, his stronger arm reaching up to curve around her neck. Ron and Hermione kissed and kissed each other back with equal gusto. Hermione's lips would occasionally spring away from his to plant feather-like kisses across his body.

When they broke the kiss at last, Hermione looked half-scandalized, half-pleased with herself. Ron looked as though all his dreams had come true at once. Words of devotion began to pour from him like a waterfall.

"Hermione Granger, I have loved you since we were 11. I love you so much; I love…"

"Ssssshhhh….." Hermione pressed a finger to his lips to silence him. "Don't speak." Then, feeling brave, she gently pushed Ron onto his back and moved to straddle him. Ron looked like he might faint dead away.

Hermione smiled shyly and then began kissing her true love again. As she did, her hands delicately roamed along the un-wounded parts of his body. She felt Ron shudder in sheer delight against her, and she was very proud of herself that she could induce such a reaction from him.

All at once, Ron pulled his lips away from hers. "Hermione – we need to stop."

"Why? Why? What's wrong?" A horrible thought struck her. "Did I hurt you?!"

"No! Not at all, I just feel we need to stop…"

"What are you talking about – OH!" she gasped airily, as she suddenly felt Ron's hard arousal grind against her thigh and center.

"I'm sorry!" Ron said quickly, now looking terrified.

Hermione bit her lip and looked down shyly. "Don't be," she murmured. "I'm sorry, I just…want to repay you, somehow, for saving my life…"

"You don't have to do that," Ron deflected.

"Oh, but I do! Would this…" she indicated their position "…be enough?" Ron thought for a moment. "I won't hurt you," Hermione qualified, stroking his cheek. "I promise."

At last, Ron nodded. Hermione bravely pulled her dirty top of her head. Her bra and jeans and undergarments quickly followed. Deftly slipping her hand underneath the sheets, she unclasped Ron's jeans, and quickly found his member. She squeezed and molded it in her hand, and Ron responded at once. He arched up towards her. Hermione grinned deviously.

"I want….I want…."

"What do you want?" Hermione whispered breathlessly, enjoying this position of power.

"Her-mi-one….I want to fuck you!" Ron practically roared the last part. Hermione gasped and suddenly felt very wet between her legs. "I want to feel you cum against me as you scream my name!"

Hermione's smile broadened. "Anything for you, my love, my hero."

Ron growled, then suddenly pulled her to him and kissed her hard. Hermione's eyes closed in pleasure, and she groaned happily. Ron, then suddenly flipped them, the couple rolling in each other's embrace until Hermione was now lying beneath him. She panicked briefly, but more from a place of worrying about him. Would he be too weak to take the lead in their lovemaking?

But Ron seemed to have found a way to maintain strength even with his injuries. He gazed down at her lovingly. "Are you a virgin?" he asked her.

Hermione breasts heaved up and down as she breathed, gasped heavily, her eyes now dark and black with lust. "Yes."

"I'll go carefully, then – it is your first time, after all. If I hurt you, just tell me to stop and I will. I don't want to hurt you."

"I'm more worried that I'll hurt you, my love," Hermione protested. "I thought you were wounded."

Ron gave her an amused look. "I may be injured, 'Mione, but I'm not an invalid. No Weasley boy is ever too wounded for sex."

"You are the crazy one, not Harry!" Hermione laughed.

"Just don't tell him or Fleur about this," Ron whispered huskily. Both of them giggling, he kissed her as he entered her place of intimacy.

The moon was high in the sky, and the new lovers, having finished every kind of sex from sweet to wild, now lay in bed side by side.

"Hermione, you are…amazing! Remind me to sacrifice myself for you more often, love."

Hermione giggled as she snuggled closer against him. "Sure."

Bathed in moonlight across the bed, they lay in silence for a long time, the only sounds being owls hooting in the distance and cicadas and crickets chirping.

Finally, Ron broke the calm. "Hermione?"

"Hmmm?" she purred against his chest.

"Have you ever thought about, you know…us?"

Hermione lifted her head up to stare at him, the moonlight making her deep brown eyes sparkle. "What do you mean?"

"Us…married. A life, a future together."

Hermione at last gave him a small smile. "Sometimes," she admitted, before laying back down next to him, her hand petting his stomach. "Have you?"

"All the time. I've imagined just how it'll be, over and over again."

Hermione sighed happily and wriggled even closer to him. "Tell me."

"OK. Well…after this is all over, I could enter the Auror Training program with Harry. You'd go back to school to finish and take your NEWTS – I know that would make you happy. Then, you'd get a job at the Ministry, doing something to help house-elves and other magical creatures."

"Then, eventually, you and I'll get married. I can picture you, all in white, set against a blanche, wintry landscape – a Christmas wedding of sorts. Perfection. We'll go live in the country, someplace where you can see the sky. And we'll have two kids – Rose and Hugo."

Hermione's eyes opened and shifted up to meet his. She raised an eyebrow, an amused smirk on her face. "You've already named our children?"

"Well, yeah," said Ron, blushing. "I figured…roses are your favorite kind of flowers, and Hugo…that comes from the name of the author of your favorite book, Les Miserables. That was a compromise, in case you're wondering, because no way was I going to name our son after that prat Viktor Krum. Unh-uh!"

Hermione burst out laughing, before she nestled even closer to her lover and closed her eyes in contentment. "It sounds wonderful," she sighed. "Let's do all of that."

Ron grinned down at her. "Then you agree?" No answer. "Hermione?"

She had fallen asleep in his arms, but the smile on her face let Ron know that she was completely on board. Ron settled down by her side, his one arm draped protectively around her, and fell asleep, too. Hermione's presence and the night made him forget, if only for a little while, all that remained left to accomplish before they could claim that bright future.