Life in Every Breath

Chapter 1- My Life Would Suck Without You


Author's Note: Hello all! Right first things first, if you have NOT READ MY GUARDIAN DIARIES QUADRILOGY, then I would recommend that you don't read any further, unless you don't mind spoilers!

This is basically a series of one-shots describing life after the War, although there may be some "deleted scenes" during the quadrilogy that I can put in- I've even got an idea for one now.

For my Falconmaster fans- yes I am also working on it, so there should be an update soon, by next week hopefully.

In this chapter, Ron and Hermione's relationship is wearing really thin, but a little box of memories might change that.

Contains a lot of fluff.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, which has always belonged to JK Rowling. I only own my OCs that are mentioned in this chapter.


22nd June 2005

Ron coughed and violently brushed the ample amount of dust off the chipped wooden crate.

"Careful, you're getting the floor dirty!" Hermione said sharply.

"You can clean it up with magic anyway, so I don't know why you're worried so much!" Ron scoffed back.

There was a long and painful pause. He could hear Hermione's heart break with hurt, and it killed him inside.

A few months ago he would have rushed over to apologise, but that was then. It had been some time since they had moved in together, all their friends were excited for them and initially so were they. They had their own place at last, somewhere they could make home. It was a small bungalow in Dorset, reminding them a little of the Burrow,but just not quite the same.

Lately, something had been going so wrong. It seemed as if Hermione was always nagging Ron and correcting him to the point of utter irritation. Why couldn't she just let him be?

An incident at work, where Ron was made the subject of a serious allegation of misconduct by discriminating against two rich kids by demanding they 'get off their behinds', had got him suspended pending an investigation that seemed to be dragging on. Each investigator seemed stupidly incompetent and ended up resigning only for their successor to make the same lousy mistakes.

Ron's irritation was really severe; he had repeatedly kept on pushing Hermione away, as she tried to keep his mind busy by giving him all these chores, but he would rather wallow in self-pity.

Now their relationship was starting to crash and burn, as they found themselves bickering. Actually, their fight was put on an amiable hold in the past week or so. Ron and Hermione had just got back from the wedding of two of their mutual friends and it was a wonderful week. They were caught up in the romance, especially as Hermione was one of Marcena's bridesmaids and listened to a lot of sentimentally sweet stories. They got along together and for a second it seemed that their problems were gone. Also, they both loved the bride and groom and would have hated to ruin their happiness on their special day. That's why nobody knew what was going through the minds of this couple and it felt so hard and lonely.

Ron sighed and thought bittersweetly about where Gallardo would be now- probably cruising in a ferry from the Spanish coast of Tarifa and venturing into the land of Morocco, with his now wife. They were probably so loved up right now, it was ridiculous. Ron wondered how long until she would begin to nag Gallardo to death, or whether they got on each other's nerves.

He scolded himself for having such cynical thoughts , especially about his friends, but the truth was that Ron was feeling tired. The truth was that Ron and Hermione were wearing thin and the arguing had resurfaced after they had got back. Ron knew that even her patience was failing and that she wished him gone, even if she was too polite to say it. Ron had recently found this crate lying around, and for some bizarre reason had decided to bring it to their home.

He sighed again, lamenting silently on the fact that the chipped and heavily dusty box was in a better position than he was, and in a strange way he was right.

Ron stood up solemnly and walked away to the kitchen window, gazing into the distance like a child wanting to play outside, but the rain prevented him. Except there was no rain, it was a late June afternoon and it was only Ron's own inhibitions that told him he couldn't.

"Dear Ron and Hermione," Hermione read out.

Ron turned his head like a meerkat. She had opened the crate to find an ornamental box that was shaped like an Oriental Pagoda, and there was a note scribbled on it.

"You two are right idiots!" Hermione let out a pained laugh. Ron attempted to follow suite but he failed to measure half a smile, and the way Hermione looked at him when she saw that, her eyes blinked with moisture. Ron quickly looked away.

"Ron, will you come and sit with me?" Hermione said softly. "Please?"

Ron's heart jumped as he saw the tears in her eyes; swiftly, he was kneeling next to her.

"Hermione? Hey, what's wrong?" His arms wrapped around her and she held back, jolting him to spark a fire within his burning heart.

Hermione pulled back and chuckled sadly. She opened the small box and rummaged through what may look like a heap of junk to the ignorant. Pulling out a chess piece- a knight without a rider, to be precise, she grinned.

"Ron, do you remember in our first year when-"

"When we played chess!" Ron grinned back, with an army of more enthusiasm than he had for days. His eyes met with Hermione's and he reached over to squeeze her hand.

"You were so brave," Hermione whispered. She brandished an old wand that was broken but held together by sellotape.

"Is that my old wand?" Ron laughed. "I thought I threw this out ages ago."

"I fished it out," Hermione confessed shyly, blushing.

"W-why?" Ron stammered, narrowly missing a heart attack.

"When Malfoy called me a Mudblood, you were the only one to challenge him."

"Did you forget that it backfired on me?" Ron said, raising his eyebrows.

"No, but even as a twelve year old you were prepared to defend my honour," Hermione giggled, wrapping her arms on his and leaning her head on his shoulder, just like she used to.

Ron held his breath, before finding that his heart was racing like it hadn't for a long time, his body threatening to perspire.

"Thanks," he croaked. "I hated the idea of him, or anyone calling you that, it's just not right, especially since you are the smartest woman I know." Ron was blinking fiercely, knowing that she had begun to smile.

"Books, cleverness and bad assery- there're more important things," Hermione pondered. She looked into Ron's blue eyes and saw the man that she loved more than anyone looking back, and if only he knew! "Being willing to sacrifice yourself, giving me a shoulder to cry on and looking after me like you've done, now that is courage."

"I heard you talking with Marcena, in Shell Cottage all those years ago, when you thought I was asleep!" Hermione teased.

"Oh my God, you did what?" Ron exclaimed. "You really were not meant to hear any of that!"

"I know, but I'm glad you did."

"I was so scared that day," Ron admitted, looking away from her, a tear falling from his eyes. "More scared than I have ever been, seeing and hearing Bellatrix Lestrange... hurting you like she did."

"I know!" Hermione began sobbing. "Ron, when I used to have nightmares about it, when I used to wake up screaming because I thought I was there again, you were my hero, you were the one who always saved me and looked after me."

Ron bit his lip, castigating himself for his stupidity.

"Ron, are you unhappy with me?" Hermione squeaked.

"What?" Ron said, drying his eyes. "What on earth gave you that impression, Hermione?"

"Then why are you shutting me out?"

"I just- just... I thought you were unhappy with me," Ron replied. "I feel so low, but, Hermione, don't ever think it's your fault! It's just this stupid situation. I'm an idiot... I am so sorry!"

"It's OK, I'm an idiot too! I should have known that you were hurting so much," Hermione said, touching his cheek and chin. "It'll get better soon, you know. When Gallardo gets back from his honeymoon, we'll consult him on this, it's his area, but I think there's got to be something about suspension time limits."

"I hope you're right.

"Dear Ron and Hermione, you two are right idiots!" Ron read the letter. "We love you, but stop wallowing in despair and realise how much you mean to each other. We know you're going to start having silly doubts, that you'll sometimes think that it's the end. So open this little box and suck it up! Love, Harry, Ginny, Gallardo and Marcena.

"Looks like we are idiots," Ron grinned. He could imagine the four of them cheering him and Hermione on. Turns out they weren't alone at all, because they had support and a safety net that they never knew existed.

"We can be idiots together," Hermione smile. She kissed him on the lips and held it, savouring this beautiful thing. "I know that you sometimes think that you think you don't deserve me, Ron, but there is no man I love more than you. Truth is, sometimes I wonder if I deserve you.

"Hermione, I'm so sorry, I don't know what to say," Ron swallowed.

"Say you love me and you won't shut me out?" Hermione suggested, snuggling with him and kissing his cheek.

Ron took a deep breath. "Well, I want to do a bit better than that."

"Oh?" Hermione said.

Ron grinned and turned around, looking her in the eye and holding her delicate hands. "Hermione Jean Granger, you are the most precious person in my entire life, I love you and I will always love you. I refuse to imagine a day when I wake up and you're not there, because my life would suck without you. Hermione, will you marry me?"

"What?" Hermione gasped in joyful shock, before taking a deep breath and throwing her arms around Ron. "Yes!" She kissed him fiercely and passionately.

Ron touched foreheads and grinned. She looked so pretty in her tracksuit bottoms and t-shirt and her brown hair pulled back in a curly ponytail. Her eyes glowed like fireflies in the night.

"I love you too, Ron. Because my life would really suck without you."


Author's Note: There we go, so what do you think? I've always been a Ron and Hermione rooter.

The scene where he talked to Marcena in Shell Cottage is one idea I've got floating around, but I don't know when it'll come into being.

Please read and review.