Aubade - 'a song greeting the dawn'
The barely rising sun, only partly visible between the two mountains that could be seen from Hogwarts, glistened upon the still surface of the Black Lake. The tall pines lining the edge of the lake cast long shadows up the bank to the castle; the topmost point at which Hermione Granger sat on the dewy grass, fingers splayed out in the cool dampness.
Inhaling slowly, she twisted her head around to observe the castle. The beautiful structure that had once been wondrous was now half-destroyed; most of the courtyard was in ruins, the staircases unmoving at present and the Great Hall in an utter mess. It was the complete mess that Hermione preferred not to dwindle upon; as her mind so often flashed back to the moment, in the early hours of the previous day, that she had seen the precious stones that represented house points scattered about across the flagstones of the Great Hall, amongst shards of glass and rubble - green, blue, yellow and red glittering on the hard floor amongst the dirt. And the portrait of the Fat Lady had been torn to pieces - left in more of a state than it had been found in Third Year - and its inhabitant discovered in another portrait far off, her sobs echoing down the destroyed corridor.
It broke Hermione's heart to see the place she considered home devastated and turned around in this way; the little things she found comfort and solace in destroyed or gone. These were the kind of memories even magic would struggle to aid Hermione shake from her mind, amongst the others of the battle that often reappeared.
Hermione turned back round to face the beautiful view, exhaling softly. Footsteps crunching heavily on the grass behind her reminded her of the existence of others - and the heart wrenching absence of others - in the castle, reminding her of the inevitable fact that this was all real.
She knew who the visitor was without even having to turn around, before they even arrived; the heavy footsteps and the sound of a familiar grunt, which had sounded in acknowledgement of Hermione's presence, she presumed.
Ron Weasley lingered by Hermione's side for a moment, glancing at her sitting position on the grass, then decidedly dropped himself onto the damp ground beside her. Neither cared too much for the dew on the grass, instead finding it to be considerably refreshing.
'Can't sleep any longer,' Ron mumbled, resting his hands on his knees and imitating Hermione, placing his eyes on the scenic landscape before them.
Hermione let out a small sigh. 'Me neither. I've slept an entire twelve and a half hours now…since early yesterday afternoon.'
'Everyone's still asleep. Ginny disappeared off up to the boy's Dormitory with Harry, no doubt…' Ron muttered; however, his expression remained unreadable.
Hermione sighed again. 'Cut them some slack, Ron, they've had it rough…' Her tone was gentle. 'And besides, they've got to deal with it too, with, you know - with us…'
When Ron didn't answer and merely scratched his chin, Hermione's heart dropped at the realisation of her words. She bit her tongue and turned away, embarrassed that she had let such a suggestion slip. She glanced at him sideways in hope of a response to aid her embarrassment, for him to wave it off; despite the fact that his mind too was probably still heavy with the events of the past twenty-four hours to be considering the possible change in their relationship. She couldn't help but notice he was badly in need of a shave, however thereupon decided that that comment could be saved for another situation. This felt different to Hermione, precious - even if a little awkward at the suggestion she had let slip - a special moment to be cherished…who knew what the future held for the both of them? For all she knew, this could be the last moment spent alone with Ron before her worries became a reality; and the kiss - in the heat of the battle the previous day - had meant nothing; had been one big mistake.
As if right on cue, a flock of tiny, plump and oddly yellow birds fluttered past, causing an unpleasant feeling to stir in Hermione's stomach; a feeling that caused the events of Sixth Year to be depicted right before her mind's eye…
'What do you mean?'
The sound of Ron's voice, rugged and hoarse yet so gentle, snapped her out of her slightly panicked reverie. She noted that he did not, surprisingly, sound as embarrassed as she had at her words.
The dawn chorus was beginning to sound; the songs of starlings and sparrows filling the crisp early morning air.
'I - you know what I mean, Ron…' she faltered at the next part; '…us.'
Ron made a sound that resembled an incredulous snort, and turned his head to flash her a tiny grin; a gesture she had supposed would occur very rarely following the battle.
'I mean Harry. Harry and you…' His grin faded, and his voice trailed off. He turned his gaze back to the lake, where the sun was steadily rising further up behind the mountains.
Once again, Hermione's heart dropped. Her and Harry? What on Earth was he thinking?…Her mind raced as she struggled to put her response to the incredulousness of his suggestion into words.
'I - Harry…Harry is like a brother to me, Ron, and you know that.' She kept her tone steady and firm, looking hard at the side of Ron's face.
He twitched his shoulders, twisting his hands in his lap and staring hard at them.
In a solitary swift movement, Hermione placed her left hand upon both of his, and he grasped onto her fingers, almost in desperation; a lifeline. She blinked rapidly, biting her lower lip, holding back the urge to cry.
The birds in the dawn sky twittered and chirped, their sweet song adding to the awe and beauty of the landscape around them.
Finally Ron's voice sounded somewhere amongst the beautiful din. 'You mean you've never…?' he croaked, intertwining his fingers gently with hers.
'Never,' Hermione whispered. 'You prat, Ronald Weasley…'
He turned his gaze from her hands to her eyes, the corners of his mouth twitching. It broke Hermione's heart to see him look to vulnerable and so broken; the urge to throw herself at him was almost irresistible, had he not traced his hands up both of her elbows and leaned in dangerously close. She closed her eyes, the air around them electric -
'Wait.' Ron stopped abruptly, his face inches away from her own. He blushed slightly at their closeness.
Hermione drew breath softly, faint smile faltering, anticipating what he had to say.
Ron seemed to be struggling with his words, glancing here there and everywhere and twitching his nose every so often as he did so when in thought (and which Hermione found, awfully…adorable?).
'I'm sorry,' he stated simply, pulling his hands away from her arms and finding her hands instead.
'What?'
'For Sixth Year. For leaving you and Harry. For everything. I'm sorry.' His voice cracked somewhere in the middle, and Hermione found herself letting the tears roll slowly down her dirt-streaked cheeks.
'I know,' she breathed, allowing her forehead to bump against his, and closing her eyes. 'But you weren't the only fool.'
'What do you mean?'
'I was spiteful. Bossy. Unforgiving. Uptight. You know me.'
'I do. How about 'complete and utter stress-head at the best of times'? Suits you.'
Hermione nudged his arm playfully, adjusting her position on the grass. They both leaned forward simultaneously, lips touching in shared bliss, arms closing around one another's warm forms.
A few moments passed by; a flock of birds swooped past, settling in the crooked branches of the small tree near them. They chirped happily; a sweet melody filling the cool air.
Hermione drew back slowly, noticing Ron's eyes still closed. 'Aubade,' she whispered gently. He kissed her softly again, her eyelids fluttering shut once more, then withdrew with a deep exhale.
'What?'
'Aubade. It means 'a song greeting the dawn'.'
'Oh…' Ron drew back further, his fingers still entwined with Hermione's. He observed their surroundings in understanding, his chest rising and falling slowly.
'I love you.'
His statement was bold but Hermione could even feel what he was saying; understood, realised. She gave a small smile, 'You do?' She got to her feet, pulling him up with her.
'I really do, actually.' His face was straight and he was staring her right in the eyes, but then a twitch caught the edges of his lips, which turned upwards in his wonderfully lopsided grin.
'Well, that's settled then,' Hermione answered, turning to face the castle and starting towards it, her hand joined with his. Leaning sideways and placing her lips close to his ear, she whispered in response to him. His ears turned slightly red as he gave a small, slightly sheepish smile.
The sun finally broke through above the mountains, spreading a warm, soft sunlight across Hogwarts. Leaning in close to Ron, Hermione squeezed his hand as they both headed up towards the castle, now bathed in glorious sunlight.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it - it feels good to get my take on this situation out my system. Thank you for reading.