He found her crying in the living room one day when she thought she was alone.

Harry and Ron, along with all the others who were currently staying at the burrow, had taken a day to go out and run errands that had been put off for quite a while.

Hermione, however, had decided to stay home, under the excuse that she needed a little peace and quiet to catch up on her reading.

Ron had finished his own tasks and turned down a drink at the local pub in hope that Hermione and he could have some quiet time of their own.

"Hermione?" he questioned as he rushed to sit next to her crying form.

Abruptly she stood from the couch and away from his comfort. When she took the hands away from her delicate face Ron saw just how hard she had been crying. Her eyes were completely swollen and red, her cheeks a similar color. He had never seen her cry so hard, not even at the funeral that had taken place almost a whole year ago.

"Hermione," he repeated, as he too stood up, "what's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing, it's silly, stupid rather. I'm just going to go freshen up."

She wiped the tears viciously from her eyes as she began to walk past his tall frame towards the stairwell, but Ron wasn't buying it, he wasn't that thick. He grabbed her arm gently, causing her to stop, but not turn her body towards him.

"Hermione, please, what's wrong. I'm sure it's not as stupid as you think," he said, his voice soft and kind.

"It is," she said, and finally turned so that they stood only a few inches apart.

"Mione, I'm not too good at this consoling thing, but you know you can tell me and I won't tell another soul."

"You're going to think so much less of me if I do," she said as new tears formed in her deep brown eyes.

"I honestly doubt that."

Hermione took a deep breath and walked past him, putting a good five feet between them.

"I'm scared," she stated.

"Hermione is that all, of course you are, we all are…"

"No," she interrupted, "there's more."

Ron shoved his hands into his pockets and nodded at her to go on.

"I'm scared, and I don't think its fair that I am."

Ron's mouth fell slightly open in confusion.

"It's just," she started guardedly; "I don't want to die."

"You're not going to." Ron said quickly, taking two cautious steps towards her.

Hermione looked down at her shoes and spoke gently, "I don't want you to die."

Ron couldn't say anything.

"Ron," she said, closing the distance between him and grasping his arm.

"I don't know where you're going with this." He said shortly, holding back his own tears.

"It's so, so, so, so, so, so…"

"Hermione."

She took a deep breath, "so selfish of me and I know that." She took two steps away from him, and he suddenly felt very cold. "It's just, we're just his friends, Harry is the one with all the people out their trying to kill him, he is the only one who can kill Voldemort, not us, and I know that I wouldn't quit on him, quit on the entire wizard, and possibly muggle world, but sometimes I feel cheated, like I'm not going to get the life I dreamed about because of who I befriended."

Her tears were coming down in sheets, her breaths in gasps.

"I know," Ron said calmly.

"What?"

"I know how you feel. Sometime I think about what it would have been like if I didn't find him on the train that day, would my life be easier? Would your life be easier?"

"Ron," she consoled without coming any closer to his drooping body, she could tell in his tone he somehow blamed himself for putting her in such grave danger.

"Is this his fate, and we're just tagging along, or is this our fate too? Is their even such a thing a bloody fate?"

"He didn't ask for this either though."

"Exactly," Ron huffed, sinking down on the couch, quickly followed by Hermione.

"I don't even know why I think about it."

"Me either."

"Ron, why didn't you ever tell me you've thought about things like this?"

"I thought you would, I don't know, think less of me or something."

"Never," she smiled resting a hand on his knee.

"I love you, you know that right?" She asked him sheepishly.

"Yeah, I do know," Ron said, lifting his face out of his hands and placing his lips on hers.

"And I love you too," he said as they pulled away from the kiss.

"Good," Hermione teased.

"I'm never going to let anything happen to you." Ron didn't choose to revel in Hermione's attempt to lighten up the conversation.

She stood when she heard his words, "please don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Promise me things I don't want!"

He stood to face her, a coffee table their only barrier.

"I hate you so much for that you know." Hermione told him, but her voice wasn't angry, it was pouring with sadness.

"Hermione I can't change how I feel about you, and…"

"No, I don't want you too. It's just god you're so damn loyal, and not just to me but to everyone. You're the Horatio in our Shakespearian tradgedy."

"Wait, what?"

"Nothing, I just, don't want to loose you, and let's face it, I have a greater chance because you are just so bloody loyal and willing to give yourself up for those you love!"

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be, it's why I love you so much too."

Ron threw one of his famous lopsided smiles, and she couldn't resist smiling back at him. He walked around the table to get to her and put her in his arms.

"Can you not?" She asked him, leaning into his chest.

"Um, not hold you…"

"No!" She quickly stopped him as he began pulling away. "Can you maybe not die for me."

"I hate talking like this."

"We have to though, don't we?"

"I guess we do. But Hermione you are with the wrong guy if you believe that I am going to sit and watch you die."

"I don't want to live without you."

"I know you don't, and part of me doesn't want you to either, but the bigger part of me," he said squeezing her tighter, "needs you to be happy."

"Ron," she choked out. He could feel her warm tears seeping through his shirt.

"If anything happens to me you will go and find some amazing guy that is going to love you forever, trust me it won't be hard." He pulled her away so he could look into her eyes as he flashed her a smile at the last part, she sniffled in return and went right back into his embrace. "And you will have an amazing job, and an amazing house, and amazing little children scurrying around. You'll let them have anything their little hearts desire, books to fill the walls and," he gulped down a huge set of tears, this is what he wanted with her, "and broom sticks scattered in the yard. And you are going to be so happy. Promise me."

She shook her head against his chest.

"Hermione promise me!"

He could feel her tiny body shiver against his, and a small "I promise" could be heard from her soft lips.

"Good."

"You too?" she asked, lifting her head from his chest.

"What?"

"Promise me that too, okay? That if something happens to me…"

"It won't!"

"But if it does," she pressed on, "you'll be happy too."

"I can't promise you that Mione."

"What? Why not?" she huffed, pulling away from him completely.

"It's just, I, I…"

"You make me promise to be happy if I loose you and you won't promise me the same thing!"

"Hermione! You will be able to be happy again, to find someone who is better than me, who can take care of you and love you more than I can. Me on the other hand, well, I can't do any better than you!"

Neither of them could stop the tears from flowing this time.

"God Damn-it Ronald! You have this insane idea in your head that you are this poor boy who will never amount to anything," she screamed through her tears, "When are you going to learn that you are one of the most amazing people in the world! Stop being so pathetic! I mean, I love you right? According to you that should be something in itself and it's not just a flook or fate playing a cruel trick on you! And honestly Ronald, do you think it's possible for anyone to love me more than you do!"

He shrugged his shoulders lightly.

"It's not, okay." She sat herself down lightly on the couch, and spoke almost inaudibly. "If anyone here doesn't deserve the other it's me."

Ron quickly sat down next to her and wrapped her crying form into his long arms.

"I don't want to fight with you anymore," she cried.

"Then lets not." He said kissing her head lightly.

"Okay."

"You know we may have just figured out the key to a good relationship. One person is willing to die for the other, but won't let the other die for them."

He could feel her wide smile as she sunk deeper into his chest.

"Marry me."

The words were a shock to both of them.

"What?" she asked looking up at him.

"Oh god." He said, taking his arms from around her and instead placing his head in them. "Oh god."

"Is the thought of me getting married to you really that bad!" Hermione said standing up.

He quickly followed her and was quick to respond.

"No! No, god not at all. I don't think you have any idea how badly I want to marry you, and I was always kinda planning on it…"

"You were planning on it?" she said, touched.

"Yeah, I just didn't know how you would react, and if I wanted to do it with you-know-who and just everything. And then I stated thinking that I did want to, really soon, and I know were young, but my parents were young and I've never seen any two people so in love, except for maybe us. But god you deserve so much better of a proposal than that."

"Ron, no it's okay, I understand. I'm just a little surprised. I mean, in the muggle world it usually consists of dinner, or balloons, or candles. I don't know."

"Yeah, it does here too. Except we don't do balloons, the owls don't like it when we let them go."

"Ron," Hermione giggled at him.

"Sorry, I'm just nervous."

"I can tell," she said smiling, placing herself in his arms.

"So…" she began when all he did was place his forehead against her own.

"We don't have jobs, and I can't buy you a ring," he said sadly.

"I don't care. I mean, if you really want to do this."

"I didn't make that clear with that speech I just did."

After another moment of silence, she once again spoke.

"Ron." She urged.

"Oh yeah, right. Here it goes." As he let her out of his arms he softly placed a kiss on the tip of her nose and bent down to one knee, taking bother her little hands in his big ones.

"Mione, will you marry me."

"Yea," she said crying, "of course."

And there they were, two people who loved each other more than life itself. They had a world of hardships before them, they could loose everything, more importantly they could loose each other, and they were well aware of it. Yet that didn't matter in this moment, because when he kissed her, they were just people who loved each other more than life itself.

Should I revamp? Is it good? CC is welcomes, as are compliments!