Disclaimer: These characters belongs to JK Rowling, our goddess. I am only playing a little with them, just for fun, not for profit.

One would think that things would be cheerier after the battle; after all, they had won the war. Voldemort was gone, with no chance of returning again.

But a war like that doesn't go without its sacrifices. Lots of brave wizards and witches had been killed, many had been permanently injured, and some were lucky enough to escape death. Ron considered himself lucky to be alive, although the pain in his wand hand was almost killing him. The horrible bruise on his temple wasn't really to his liking either. But he was alive. Harry was alive, and Hermione was alive. That's all that mattered to him.

But he still felt miserable, when he stepped into the Great Hall, to see all the dead bodies lying on the floor. Families were gathered around the bodies, for grieving. He could see his own family in a corner. His mother was holding onto Ginny, who had fallen asleep onto her shoulder. Percy was sitting quietly, staring into nothingness, and then there was his father… his father was gently stroking George's back, and his face was tearstained. George, however… Ron couldn't bear to look at him. It was etched with sorrow and grief. He had lost his twin brother, his other half, and even though Ron felt grief himself, he couldn't imagine how George must be feeling by this.

He jumped slightly when he felt a cold hand gently slip into his. He turned his head, and his eyes met a pair of brown, gentle eyes that were filled with concern. Even though they were sad, they were just as beautiful as they always had been. Ron smiled gently at Hermione, and gave her hand a small, reassuring squeeze. It made him feel at ease, just knowing that she was standing right there beside him. Hermione was amazing like that.

"You want to sit with your family?"

Ron shook his head to her question. "I'll have plenty of time… " He gave her hand another squeeze. There was a mixture of emotions within him now. Grief, relief, and heck, even bliss. That's what made him feel so confused right now. His head was spinning because of all the emotions. The dust was probably helping with that too. He turned to look at Hermione again. "Let's take a walk", he suggested. She seemed surprised by that, but she nodded, and followed him, with their fingers tangled in each other's.

It was early morning. Ron hadn't even realized, or kept any track on what time it was. The time had just flown away.

Despite the miserable sight of the castle being torn down, and the sight of the dead bodies on the grounds, the sun was really shining for being so early in the morning, and even some birds were chirping happily. It was as if they knew that this would be a day to celebrate.

Ron was yet again reminded of his confused feelings. Should he feel happy? Should he feel sad? He felt somewhat torn, and it frustrated him. He kicked away a stone from the ground, and let out a groan.

Hermione was silent, though, and she let him take out his frustrations however he liked it too. She understood his confusion, what he must be feeling.

But after a while of kicking and grunting, taking out his frustration on the ground, Hermione finally caught his arm again, and she pulled him into a tight hug. He buried his face into her thick, dirty mass of hair, and shut his eyes tight, enjoying the feel of her fingers running into his own hair.

"He didn't die in vain, Ron", he heard her whisper, followed by a sniffle. Ron tensed, and he pulled her closer, holding her tighter to him.

"I know that", he murmured. "Everything's just… I feel weird", he sighed.

"We all feel weird. This… it's been going on for years, and now it's all gone… it's over. But everyone fought, Ron. You… you were so brave. I'm so proud of you."

Ron was perplexed to hear that. He didn't consider himself to be brave. He had just done what had felt right. But hearing Hermione say that… to know that she was proud of him… it made him feel elated. Damn, his heart was beating so loud right now.

"I wasn't… I mean, everyone would have… you even…"

He was also very embarrassed. His earlobes were getting red, something he thought wasn't the right timing. "You were also brave, Hermione", he then told her, and he pulled away from the hug, just to look at her face. She was beautiful, even with a cut lip and bruises here and there on her face. He had never seen anyone so beautiful. Especially when she was blushing the way she did now.

His heart was beating so hard again, just by looking at her. He brought up a hand, to gently brush it against her cheek, and he felt relieved when she leaned into his hand and closed her eyes. She looked tired. He felt tired. He couldn't remember the last time he had slept.

But he didn't want to sleep. He wanted to be close to her, make sure that she was all right. Even though the war was over, the need to protect her felt stronger than ever. The thought of parting with her, even if it were for a slight second, frightened him. He needed to know and make sure that she wasn't in danger.

"Are you all right, Ron?"

He didn't realize that he had been staring at her, until she spoke to him. His ears felt hot again. He nodded to her question. "I was just thinking…" he said, stroking her cheek again. She looked at him curiously, urging him to speak with her soft gaze. "I just feel that… if I were to leave now, I'd feel so miserable."

Hermione raised her eyebrows questionably, looking confused.

"I'm not leaving", Ron assured her quickly, waving his hands in front of them. "I mean… being parted from you… I'd feel so bloody miserable."

The confusion disappeared from Hermione's eyes, and instead, there was a softer look, even a small smile. "Oh, Ron. I won't go anywhere anytime soon", she assured him. "Why on earth would I part from you?"

Ron shook his head. "I never said that. I'm just…" he sighed, and looked away for a short moment, and then turned back to look at Hermione. "I want to be with you, Hermione", he said. His voice was croaking due to tiredness. "I mean…" he sighed again, and felt more awkward than ever. "it feels like if you're not by my side in every second when I need you to be, everything feels useless", he said. He tried his best to explain what he meant, and he hoped that she would get it. She was a smart witch after all. "I just want to know that you're always here", he finally said again, on the verge of giving up. "To know you're safe and sound."

"Ron…" he heard after a short moment of silence. "Are you asking me to… to be…?"

Why was this so bloody hard when they had kissed just a few hours ago? He wished this horrible tension would just disappear. He wished he could show her how brave he was, like she had implied earlier. He certainly didn't feel brave now.

"Hermione…" he murmured quietly. He sat down on the grass close to the lake, and tugged on her hand, urging her to sit down with him, which she did with no hesitation. "I know I'm a bloody prat, I'm no good with words, and I have a bad temper at times…"

"Ron—"

"No, let me just say this, Hermione", he cut her off. "I may not be someone like that git Victor Krum or a Quidditch hero like McLaggen, and probably not a good kisser either." He paused for a second, and looked down onto the grass, trying to think of something to say. He felt so pathetic.

"But I'm tired of all this", he finally said. "I'm tired of us dancing around each other, and I'm tired of holding all of this in. I just… Hermione, I just want to be with you. I'm so madly in love with you, Hermione."

There, he had said it. Now he just wanted to sink to the ground. He couldn't even look at Hermione right now.

"First off, Ron…" he heard her say after one hell of a long, painful minute. He winced, preparing for the worst. "You may be a prat, but it doesn't make you an idiot. Well, sometimes, but… that's not the point. Ron, you are braver than any other man I know. Yes, it's true that you're not like Victor Krum or McLaggen, and I'm so grateful for that. I don't want you to be like them. I want you to be you… I want you to be the Ron I fell in love with. "

His eyes widened in utter surprise, and he quickly looked up, to her side. "You mean…"

"And for the record, you are certainly not a bad kisser either", said Hermione. She was blushing so adorably again. Ron just wanted to hold her. "So, yes, Ron… I want to be with you too. It's all I've ever wanted for years."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. It was… too good to be true, that's for sure. After years of being miserably in love with her, after years of jealousy and misunderstandings… she was finally his.

And they sealed that agreement with a kiss. It wasn't hurried this time, like their earlier kiss in the Room of Requirement. No, they took their time this time, because for once, there was no Harry to interrupt them.

And it was best for his sake that he didn't, Ron thought to himself. Like Harry had suggested earlier, Ron and Hermione had held it all in, and there was no way in hell that they'd have to repeat it all again.

He just wanted to enjoy being with Hermione for the time being.