Ron lay there, the effects of the potion slowly killing him. He cried out in pain as his life slipped away from him second by second.

"Harry, we have to do something!" Hermione said breathlessly, shaking Ron desperately. "He's dying!"

Harry had his wand out and was seconds away from killing Voldemort. The Dark Lord was on the other side of the door in the room they were in. Looking from the door to his best friend lying on the floor, he was forced to make a decision.

"Hermione," Harry whispered, "stay with Ron. I'm going to go finish off Voldemort." He left the room.

"Oh, please, Ron," Hermione cried, "don't leave me..." She watched as his face became expressionless and his cries of pain diminished to faint mutterings. She began to sob uncontrollably now. He wasn't breathing.

Hermione kissed his cheek, and turned around, unable to see him like this any longer.

Suddenly, Ron spoke in a raspy voice, like he had once before, "Er-my-nee." Hermione gasped and turned around as Ron spoke again.

"I...love...you..."

She was so taken aback that Hermione didn't even think when she responded, "Oh, Ron, I love you too!" She leaned down and kissed Ron deeply.

Ron seemed to gain some of his strength back the longer he and Hermione kissed. He sat up, still attached to Hermione by the lips and put his arm around her.

Stunned by his sudden revival, Hermione pulled away from Ron and said, "You're alive! But...how--" Ron placed his finger on her mouth, silencing her. He replied with a smile, "I don't know how, and I don't know why. What I do know is that I love you and it took me four years to say anything about it."

He pulled her in for another kiss, but their embrace was broken when an explosion with the force of a small bomb took place on the other side of the door.

"Oh no!" Hermione screamed, clenching her face with her hands. "Harry! He went to face Voldemort by himself!"

She ran to the door, opened it, and she and Ron entered the room. A faint green smoke hung in the air. On the floor lay Harry, and directly across from him, Voldemort. Neither of them was moving.

Tears welling up in her eyes once again, Hermione hurried to where Harry lay and checked his pulse. Nothing.

Her tears were falling freely now as she returned to where Ron was standing. He looked very pale, and was clearly holding back a plethora of emotions.

Hermione said to him, "He's dead."

It took a few moments for this to sink in. All of a sudden, Ron wailed, "He was my best mate! How can he be dead?" Hermione comforted him as she sobbed into his shoulder herself.

Hermione looked up at Ron. "But the good thing is," Hermione said consolingly, "Voldemort is gone, too."

Together, she and Ron lifted up Harry's lifeless body and carried him out, ready to face the world.