Title: Terrified
Fandom: Harry Potter
Timeframe: Postwar
HBP Compliant: Yes
Pairing: Ron/Hermione
Rating: PG
Summary: She isn't perfect, and it scares him.

------- Ron/Hermione --------

It scares him that she doesn't know the answers anymore. Because she used to know everything. She used to know the answers to every question he could ever ask, from school work to the battlefield, the words "I don't know" never escaped her mouth because she always knew, somehow, even when the rest of the world was completely dumbfounded.

But now she doesn't know. She can't answer simple questions like "What day is it?" or "When did you last eat?" or even "Is it over?" Because she doesn't remember what day it is and she hasn't eaten in such a long time and it isn't over, not really, not even close.

It scares him how they don't fight anymore. Because the arguments weren't about who was right and who was wrong. It was about passion, emotion, feeling. Those fights used to mean the world to both of them, because it reminded them how strongly they felt for each other. Those fights used to be so pointless yet so important, because they kept both of them sane.

But now they don't fight. Because she's too tired. She's always so tired. He blames her nightmares but she says she doesn't even sleep anymore. She's too tired to fight and he doesn't know how to bring that spark of life back into her eyes.

It scares him how she just doesn't care anymore. Because she was always so passionate about everything. All their adventures, SPEW, the Order. She was always the one giving it her all, the one that kept going after everyone else couldn't go on. She was always the one to cry the hardest at funerals and laugh the most at victory parties.

But now she doesn't care about anything. There are no more adventures to test her knowledge. She's given up on SPEW. And she tries not to think about the War too much. He just wishes she would laugh again, without it sounding dry and brittle. He wishes she would smile again, without it looking so sarcastic and cold. And he really wishes she would cry again, just so he knew she still had some tears left.