All Better
In the early morning hours, Ron went into the guestroom at Shell Cottage to see Hermione lying there, sleeping peacefully. It was really relieving to Ron to see her in a peaceful state, after all that had recently happened to them. When Ron came in, Hermione awoke and smiled at him. Ron smiled quietly as he sat down in the chair next to her bed.
"Did you sleep all right?"
Hermione nodded. "I feel a bit better."
Ron nodded a bit in relief. Then his eyes fell onto Hermione's sleeve, which had dried blood on it.
Ron reached out and very gently rolled back her sleeve. Hermione did not stop him, merely watched him. There lay the cruel mark of Bellatrix, the horrible "Mudblood" carved into her arm.
Ron studied it for a moment. Then he looked around for Hermione's bag until he found it by the bedside table. He picked it up, muttered "Accio Dittany," and the bottle of Dittany came zooming out at him.
Hermione still watched Ron as he took the stopper off of the bottle and put some Dittany on his thumb.
Very gently Ron began to rub the place on Hermione's arm where Bellatrix's knife had made its mark. Hermione winced slightly as the Dittany began to sting. But Ron just told her quietly, "It'll be all right."
Once Ron was convinced he had done enough, they both looked at her arm. The mark was still there, though there was no more dried blood upon the wound. Ron frowned at it and looked at Hermione, whose exhausted eyes had filled with tears and whose face showed no emotion otherwise.
"It's never going to come off," she said. "It was put there by Dark Magic. Every time I look at it, I'm always going to be reminded of Bellatrix, looming over me."
Hermione gave a labored sigh and a single tear rolled down her cheek.
Ron reached out, wiped the tear off her face with his thumb, and tucked a piece of hair behind Hermione's ear that had fallen in her face. Then his eyes fell upon the thin cut on Hermione's neck that had been made by the knife as well.
Without a word, he put more Dittany on his thumb and began to rub the smaller cut. This one healed in a matter of seconds. Hermione blinked and a few more tears rolled down her pale face. But she smiled as Ron looked at her with tenderness and love glowing in his eyes.
"All better," he whispered. Hermione moved her other arm to take his hand and Ron moved his other hand to place it on her face and stroke her cheek gently with his thumb.
They sat there together, Ron's eyes quietly and gently promising to stay there and take care of Hermione for as long as he had to. And they only moved out of that moment when Harry walked into the room.