A/N: MY FIRST UPLOADED HARRY POTTER FANFIC! ARGH, I'M SO EXCITED! I've written loooooooooooooads, but I've never really finished them.
So, it's really weird. When I first saw Harry Potter I totally shipped Ronmione. Then I became a Dramione shipper (well, what can I say, TOM FELTON) and now I ship them both. I've never really been a fan of Ron-bashing anyway, because he's just so lovely.
Enough with the babbling, on with the show!
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe. It's all owned by J.K. Rowling.
We'll Always Have Love
Hermione opened her eyes and stretched out her limbs, yawning widely. She had no idea how long she'd been asleep for, but she knew she wasn't going to get back to sleep any time soon so she might as well take over the watch from Harry. She reached over and picked up Hogwarts: A History from the floor beside the bed. It had always been her favourite book, but Hermione had barely put it down since they'd begun searching for Horcruxes. When she couldn't sleep she liked to flick through the pages and imagine that she was back in her four poster bed in the girl's dorm, or she closed her eyes and dreamed that she was in the library, surrounded by musty leather bound books.
"Harry?" Hermione whispered as she stepped outside of the tent. There was a small fire crackling where he'd been sitting, but her best friend was nowhere to be found.
"Harry?" She called again, trying to keep her voice low, in case there were any Snatchers around. After there was no reply, and Hermione realised she was in the middle of a forest, wandless and alone. Her heart beat furiously in fear under her jumper, but she scolded herself. He had probably just gone to check the wards…or he'd gone for a walk. Yeah, that was it. Hermione decided to go and look for him.
She wandered through the dark forest, her hands deep in her coat pockets as the biting wind assaulted her cheeks. She found a trail of footsteps that she hoped to Merlin belonged to Harry, before she came to a little clearing with a frozen lake. She noticed that there was a pile of clothes and a wand next to the cracked ice. Hermione was just about to step into the clearing when she saw a figure run over to a hole in the middle of the lake and dive into the freezing water. She decided to hang back and watch what was happening. She didn't exactly want to run in and get dragged away by Snatchers that may have set some sort of trick. Hermione crouched down behind a thick tree trunk to watch.
Suddenly the figure that she had seen jump into the lake earlier broke through the surface, she could hear him gasping from here. At least she thought it was a man. He was pulling someone with him, and the pair collapsed against a large rock, panting. Suddenly Hermione realised who they were, Ron and Harry.
Despite how much Hermione wanted to hate him for leaving them behind, she couldn't deny the glow that she felt that he'd come back. However much she wanted to stride down there and slap that idiot round the head repeatedly, she quelled the impulsive part of her personality because she knew that Harry and Ron needed that time alone to reconcile their friendship.
She watched her two best friends' converse for a brief minute. It seemed as if they were arguing about something. Hermione caught snatches of their conversation.
"…got to do it Ron…"
"…affects me more than it affects you and Hermione…"
"…why are you here? Why did you come back…Don't hesitate…"
Hermione watched as Harry placed some sort of object she couldn't see on a fallen log. Then Ron lifted something above his head and it glinted in the moonlight. Hermione stifled a gasp - the sword of Gryffindor. That meant that the object was the locket. Ron was going to destroy the locket. Sure that was great but it was so reckless. There was no way of knowing what would happen and they needed medicine at hand. Hermione was about to get up and run out to tell them off and stop them when Harry spoke Parseltongue and the locket sprung open.
A heavy black mist erupted from the locket, knocking Hermione backwards. A high pitched whine made her cover her ears, and she froze when she heard Voldemort's voice.
"I have seen your heart and it is mine…" She shivered at his voice and clamped her hands harder over her ears in a desperate attempt to block out both the loud squeal and his voice. "I have seen your dreams Ronald Weasley, and I have seen your fears." Hermione ran out of the trees and tried to make her way to her friends but the whine and Voldemort's voice intensified and she fell to the floor, her head burning as if it were about to explode. She looked up to see hundreds of small spiders crawling towards Ron as he scrambled away. "Least loved by your mother, who craved a daughter…Least loved by the girl who prefers your friend…" The 'girl' that Voldemort had been talking about, was that her? Hermione watched in horror as the mist solidified into distorted versions of herself and Harry. She vaguely heard Harry yell 'RON KILL IT!' before her attention was drawn to this clone of her, a more beautiful and more sinister version.
"We were better without you. Happier without you," The mist-Harry said, glaring at Ron who stared at him, transfixed.
"Who could look at you compared to Harry Potter?" Hermione's clone had spoken up now, her voice mocking. "What are you, compared to the Chosen One?"
"RON IT'S LYING!" Harry screamed, although it seemed that Ron could not hear him. He was staring, transfixed, at the smoky recreations of his two best friends,
"Your mother confessed she would've preferred me as a son," Mist-Harry told him.
"What woman would take you, you are nothing, nothing, nothing compared to him." Hermione so desperately wanted to argue with this evil version of her and tell Ron that he was completely the opposite. He was everything to her. Just as she was about to shout something – anything to stop Ron believing this rubbish, the mist changed into a new scene. Hermione swallowed back the bile rising in her throat as she saw what the new image was - both her and Harry, both topless and kissing quite furiously. It made Hermione feel quite nauseous, like it was incest or something like that. She only ever thought of Harry as a brother, nothing more. Sadly, Ron had never seen it that way. Hermione tried to cry out, draw his attention away from the mist, but her voice was lost in the loud squeal. She could only watch as Ron struggled to his feet and raised the Sword of Gryffindor above his head, letting out a furious yell. He sliced through the mist, effectively severing the image, before crushing the locket. The mist immediately dissipated and Hermione moved back behind the trees as Harry got shakily to his feet. Ron had fallen to his knees and Harry sat down beside him.
"Just think, only three to go," He said casually. Hermione smiled. Ron was ever the optimist. The two boys sat in silence for a few minutes before Harry laid a hand on his friend's shoulder.
"I'll send a Patronus in a little while, so that you can find us when you're ready to come back." He said comfortingly. "I'm glad you came back Ron." With that he stood up and walked back through the trees.
-:-
The minute Harry was gone Hermione got up from her hiding place and sprinted towards Ron, who was still on his knees and looking at the floor. He was abruptly knocked over and let out 'oomph' as Hermione barrelled into him. He recognised Hermione's bushy hair and breathed in her familiar scent of old books and perfume. Ron closed his eyes and held Hermione to him tightly, digging his fingers into her denim jacket.
"You came back," She whimpered and it was only when they both pulled back did Ron notice the tears in her eyes. "You've been gone for weeks, I was afraid that you'd…you'd…" She couldn't bring herself to say it. Ron reached up and brushed a strand of frizzy hair from her face.
"Oh you know me, bloody invincible." He soothed calmly, wiping away a tear that escaped.
"Yeah but if you had…Merlin I don't know what I'd do," She looked over at the smashed locket. "You destroyed it." Ron followed her gaze.
"Y-yeah," He shivered, remembering what he'd seen, what Tom Riddle had shown him.
"Me and Harry, we've never seen each other like that, Ron. He's like my brother; I love him likea brother. It's always been like that." Ron frowned.
"What are you talking about?" Hermione exhaled shakily.
"Ron, You-Know-Who was lying. What he said, about what I felt for you, he was wrong." Ron froze and his jaw clenched.
"Y-you saw me destroy the Horcrux," It wasn't a question, it was a statement, but Hermione nodded anyway.
"I think we'd better get back to Harry-," Ron said, averting his eyes from hers and beginning to move but Hermione stopped him.
"Ron, please listen to me." He looked up at her and Hermione swore she could drown in his beautiful eyes. "You've never truly believed in yourself. You always think that people prefer Harry because he's the Chosen One, but you're so wonderful in your own way." She smiled. "You're a great friend, you'd die for the people you love and you make me laugh Ron, even when I'm mad at you." She blushed and looked at the ground. "When I'm around you, I don't feel as insecure. You make me feel like I can do anything, like I'm not just a 'know it all bookworm with bad hair'. And I wish, I just wish that you could see yourself properly, because you're so brilliant and -," Hermione's ramble was cut off by Ron's lips crashing against hers. She let out a slight squeak of surprise and Ron seemed to take that as a sign that she didn't want to do this. He hastily pulled back.
"Hermione, I'm sorry, I thought you wanted -," He stuttered in an embarrassed voice.
"Oh shut up Ronald," Hermione interrupted, gripping his jacket and attaching her lips to his again. "Of course I want this. I want you. I've always wanted you." Ron, encouraged by her words, parted his lips against hers and a red hot bolt of electricity shot through her veins, making her shiver with excitement as her heart beat furiously.
"Hermione I'm sorry, so sorry for leaving you," Ron said, pulling back slightly so that their foreheads rested against one another.
"It's okay Ron, just don't ever do it again. Or I'll kill you," Hermione chuckled, running her fingers through his soft hair.
-:-
Harry wasn't surprised when Ron and Hermione returned to the tent hand in hand half an hour later with giant smiles on their faces. Instead he was grinning like a Cheshire Cat. After Ron went inside to set down his backpack and get something to eat Harry turned to Hermione.
"I must say Hermione your tracking skills are amazing." He teased. It took a moment for Hermione to realise what he was talking about before she turned to him, rolling her eyes.
"When did you see me?" She asked.
"I saw you just after Ron pulled me out of the lake. I thought it was better if I kept my mouth shut." He winked at her. "Bet you're glad I did, huh?" Hermione laughed and swatted him over the head.
"Yes Harry, yes I am." She looked at the sky to where the sun was just starting to rise. "But I think you'd better get to bed. I'll take over the watch."
"Oh Merlin, you and Ron aren't going to start watching the sunset every morning and sending love letters, are you?" He groaned. "I swear if I walk in on any snogging sessions…" He ducked another playful hit from Hermione as she blushed.
"You button it Harry Potter." He smirked.
"No, I'm happy for you. It's about time you kids got together." He hugged her and stood up, going inside the tent. Ron came out a moment later, sitting down beside her and staring at the dying embers of the fire.
"So what happens now?" Hermione asked, breaking the silence.
"Hermione, what I feel for you…it's more than a friendship. I've felt it for a long time, and I want to give us a go."
"You mean…a relationship?" He nodded, the tips of his ears going red. "That sounds amazing." Ron lifted his arm and Hermione slid over, fitting perfectly into his side. She buried her face in his jacket and it felt amazing. She'd hugged Ron so many times over the years but this hug felt different, and the same. He was warm and Hermione didn't think she could leave his arms unless he was surgically removed.
"This feels right," He murmured, his breath tickling her ear.
"It always felt right." She replied as he leant down to kiss her lightly. The sun had risen higher in the sky, casting a golden glow on the woods. Hermione sighed.
"Ron, I'm scared." His arm tightened around her.
"Why?" His voice grew protective.
"There's a Wizarding War coming, Ron. People are going to be fighting, and people are going to die. What if…what if one of us dies," Ron rested his chin on her head and sighed.
"I want to tell you everything will be okay and we'll all survive this, because we won't for definite, but it's like Harry said. We have one strength; one thing that we'll always have, and that's love."
A/N: So that's it! How was it? Did you like it? Was it good? Bad? Absolutely awfully disgustingly terrible? AM I ASKING TOO MANY QUESTIONS? YES I AM. I'LL SHUT UP NOW.
Thanks for reading! I love you guys.
