The tears fell freely down Hermione's face and into her lap. She sat cross legged on the rug in front of the Weasleys fireplace. The group had arrived back several hours previously. Exhaustion and grief had drowned them and they all had retreated to their beds. All except Hermione. She was now alone too tired to sleep to sad to do anything else. Her thoughts went to Ron. Who had not said a word to her and gone straight to his room and slammed the door. She wanted to comfort him but neither did she want to invade on his grief.

"Mione?"

She looked up and saw Ron in the doorway pale and worn with a look of concern written upon his face. She hurriedly wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Why are you...?" "Couldn't sleep" She answered knowing what he had about to ask. Ron said nothing and Hermione stared at her lap. For a moment she thought he'd left but he was still, having not moved an inch.

"Ron I'm so sorry!" Hermione whispered. "You should be proud you know?" She chocked her words not looking up at him she ploughed on. "Proud of Fred he was so, so ,so..." "Don't" It was the first thing he had said in minutes and it came out horse and barely audible. "Just don't" He didn't say it angrily he was quite calm. This worried Hermione more. Ron continued "you don't need to say that it's all okay, just leave it," He closed his eyes "I know you're only trying to comfort me but just, just" he stopped then, emotion rising in his throat. "I don't want you to tell me it's going to be okay 'cause it's not!"

"What do you want me to do?" She was crying again. "Hold me" He said. She looked up at his face, so vulnerable he almost looked like his eleven year old self again. Standing in the doorway staring at the floor.

Hermione rose and crossed the room in a split second. She encircled him with her arms and pulled him close. She felt him shudder and gasp as sobs began to escape him.

They stood like that for what seemed like hours. Ron in Hermione's arms his head nestled into her shoulder. When all his tears had fallen Ron looked at Hermione. He stared right at her and the sides of his mouth began to curve into a small but very real smile. He lent forward and kissed her softly. It was a kiss full of love and promise. Ron's hands found their way to Hermione's waist and snaked themselves around her and pulled her closer still. She let out a little sigh as he did this and her hands moved from his shoulders to his neck, where her fingers traced circles into his skin.

"Oh" They broke apart and turned guiltily towards the figure in the doorway. Mrs Weasley stood hands now on hips; eyebrows rose staring at the pair of them. "Mum." Ron crocked, his ears turning scarlet and he stared fixedly at the floor. "Right well I'm off to bed now" Hermione babbled, "Exhausted, matters well get a couple of hours rest now before everyone gets up for breakfast, Ron coming?" She slid past Mrs Weasley, who now wore a small smile on her face looking between Ron and Hermione. "Ron?"

"Oh yeah coming, Knackered," He said feigning a yarn to prove to his mother just how tired he was. "Night" and Ron pushed past his mother and rushed on up the stairs. Mrs Weasley was left chuckling and shaking her head. Before tonight she had thought it neigh impossible to feel this many emotions at one time. The loss of her child weighed so heavily upon her that she thought it would crush her. However the knowledge that her other children were safe made her feel elated. She sighed, flicked her wand to distinguish the lights and turned and made her way to bed.

The smell of bacon made its way quickly through the burrow, wafting its way up the stairs and under the door of Ron's bedroom. He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. It was an odd sensation to wake up and not feel the immediate fear and worry wash over him/ to not fear for the lives of his family or friends. To know they were safe, well they weren't all safe were they. None of them were really okay. They had lost Fred, and the pain of that was terrible, but in spite of this he was calm. Calm felt good. To know that nothing more was coming and they could begin day by day to piece their lives back together.

He sat up slowly and propped himself up on his pillow. He thought of Hermione and a lops sided grin appeared across his face, which gave him the appearance of just having been hit over the head with a bludger.

"Ron?" he shook himself from his daze and looked over towards Harry. He had poked his head out from inside his sleeping bag and was watching him with amusement. "Never seen you think so hard before" he joked. Ron threw a dirty sock at him, which missed harry completely and landed on his chest of drawers. "Sod off!" Ron laughed and then immediately stopped it felt unnatural, his muscles in his face were tight and it took immense effort. There was an awkward moment where Ron stared at his hands and Harry forced himself to look away out the open window.

"You know what?" Harry said "I never thought about how I'd feel once it was over, I mean I suppose I never really believed it would be."

"How does it feel?" Ron asked simply still not looking at him.

"Free" Harry smiled, Ron could hear the relief in his voice and for the first time it hit how free they really all were. It made him feel better that the future wasn't mapped out in front of them. No life or death, no ultimatums no more fear, just life.

The pair of them were quiet for several moments as they let that feeling wash over them. "I'm starving, that bacon smells just about done" Ron finally said and pulled himself out of bed and the two of them ran down stairs.