This is an extended version of a head canon I wrote a while ago, and remembered about, and thought 'Hey, this would make a great fluff fic'
The Scarf
For many years, Ron had been racked with the guilt of leaving his friends and not being able to get back to them. Now, even though he was well and truly forgiven, Harry was part of his family having married his little sister Ginny, and he, Ron, was married to Hermione, he still felt some of the guilt. One day it became too much, and in a moment of weakness, Ron had lost control and apparated to a forest. One that he recognised, one that haunted his dreams. And in front of him, he saw something.
'Ron, I'm really not in the mood for a trip today, Rose is playing up, I can't leave her with your mum, and this one,' she rubbed her protruding stomach, 'is not happy to say the least about his cramped living quarters'
'Hermione, my mum dealt with seven children, more importantly she raised George and..yeah, I'm sure she can deal with her granddaughter being a bit grumbly'
Hermione looked up at him, with a tired look in her eyes. Ron tended to call this the all nighter look; it was a look she had perfected during their time at Hogwarts, when they were studying for exams or finishing work late into the night.
Ron persisted.
'Hermione..' he said, almost whining, 'trust me. My mum can handle Rose for a few hours, and this little one,' he laid a hand onto his wife's stomach ,'hasn't got to deal with it for much longer, and I know you really don't mind him kicking, I know you too well, you're so happy to know he's there'
Hermione bowed her head and smiled. Her amazing husband, and one of her best friends, knew her all too well. She relented to him.
'Ok, fine ,' she said with a smile ,'where are we going then?'
Ron tapped his nose, and went to bundle his daughter up to take her to the Burrow.
Hermione folded her arms across her chest and pouted, before laughing to herself, and following him.
'What gave you the idea that a heavily pregnant woman would be comfortable on a broom?' Hermione said with a smile and a hint of sarcasm
'You can't apparate right now, so it was broom, or borrow a thestral from Harry' Ron said, knowing Hermione's dislike of flying of any sort, but out of all the flying possibilities she preferred the broom, because as she said 'It doesn't have a mind of its own'
'Point taken' Hermione conceded
'Come on, we have to walk now, the trees are too thick to fly' Ron exclaimed
Hermione could have slapped him.
They walked for what felt like an age to Hermione, but to Ron, the walk could not have gone quicker, he was so desperate to show his wife what he knew was waiting nearby, hopefully before Hermione realised where they were.
'Ron? Why does this place look so familiar? I feel like I don't want to be here...oh god. I know where we are, Ron? Ron? You don't need to feel guilty about this, please, honey, let's go home' Hermione pleaded, but Ron had stopped in front of a tree, and had turned to face her, a huge smile of his face, and looking like he was concealing something.
'Ron? What's going on?'
'Hermione, how much do you remember of that night?'
'More than I want to'
'Ok. I remember every detail up until I apparated, and I never asked what happened afterwards, you and Harry always just said you packed up and moved on, and that you cried a lot when you thought Harry couldn't see, but there was a detail, something you did on the morning after, that you forgot, something that really symbolises how much you love me, and means the world to me, and makes me know I love you more than life itself. It helped me forgive myself, because it made me know you had forgiven me, even straight after. I don't know if you were trying to help me if I returned, or whatever. I regret a lot about that night, and I know I hurt both of you, but Harry is like my brother, he actually is my brother, and I could tell he had forgiven me as soon as I came back, whether it was because I rescued him from the ice, or whether it was because I sat next to him on the train all those years ago, but since that night, I have never worried that he hadn't forgiven me, it was always you I thought I had let down, because I had no proof that I was forgiven, but I found it'
Ron moved aside, revealing the scarf that Hermione had tied around the tree when she and Harry had left their campsite that morning, and Hermione had been sure Ron would have returned by then, so she had left a part of herself behind.
'Oh Ron' was all she could manage
Hermione edged towards the tree, and gently touched the scarf, which seemed untouched by time, a shadow from the past, that was not showing a warm light to the future.
Ron took out his wand, and whispered the incantation for a permanent sticking charm. Hermione then took out her wand and placed muggle repelling charms around the tree, and then carved into the wood;
'For all those that see this, know the struggle of love is worth it in the end'
Hermione turned to Ron, who placed a solid kiss on her lips, and together, rather than separate, they left that place.