He looked down at his body. All he could see is dirt and blood. He smelled like rubble, but he reckoned he always would now. Even if the smell eventually faded, it would still be with him in the back of his mind.

That night he lost his brother, he almost lost his best friend, he had killed somebody, and he watched the darkest wizard of all time finally be defeated. He didn't know quite what to feel.

"I guess I'm a tablespoon now, huh?" he spoke as he walked down towards the fireplace from the portrait hole.

She jumped at the sound of his voice, "What?".

"You told me in fifth year that I had the emotional range of a teaspoon. I reckon I at least deserve tablespoon now."

Hermione chuckled a bit, but he could still the see the water threatening the bottom of her eyes. Ron walked gingerly towards her and held her, something that has become so natural since that night at Malfoy Manor.

"I'm sorry about Fred." Hermione said after a few minutes. Ron could feel the lump forming in his throat and his eyes start to glisten.

"Yeah, me too."

They just held on to one another for a good while. Until Ron did something neither of them expected. He laughed. He laughed harder then he has in a very long time, which slightly worried and amused Hermione.

"Ron," Hermione pulled back and chuckled, "What could possibly be so funny?"

Ron thought back to when Fred and George gave him that bloody book just around the time he came to terms with exactly how he felt about Hermione. Actually, Fred was the only person Ron ever truly admitted it to. George had been sick, so naturally, Fred was bored. He threw Ron his broom and demanded that they go for a fly. Once Fred finally got the truth out of Ron, all he could do was smile and say, "I knew it."

If only he could see them now. But that lead to a whole nother question. What exactly were he and Hermione?

"Hermione, you kissed me."

Hermione stepped back and looked mortified as a blush rose upon her cheeks. "You kissed me back." She defended.

"I did"

"Is that what you were laughing at? I mean, I know I'm probably rubbish. I've never even...I mean, you probably would have kissed any girl given the fact we were about to die, and I was just, well I was just there. Oh god." she rambled and started to walk away quickly.

"Hermione, wait!" He grabbed her wrist before she could get any further. "That's not at all what I was laughing at, and you certainly were not rubbish." Ron said looking her straight in the eyes. He saw Hermione smile a bit and blush, "and what makes you think I could have done that with any oth...wait, did you say that you've never done that before?"

"Well I mean," Hermione began embarrassed, "I never really had anybody that I fancied to do that with."

"So Krum?" Ron asked hopefully.

"Ron, honestly? I've just admitted that you're the only boy I've ever snogged and you have the audacity to bring up..."

She never finished her sentence because Ron had swooped down and captured her lips with his. It wasn't that far off from the experience of their first kiss. Desperate, nervous, lustful. The only real difference was that now they didn't have to part if they didn't want to.

"Oi, Seriously? Is that going to happen every time I walk into a room?" Harry interrupted as he walked into the common room.

Hermione broke away and Ron rested his forehead on hers' and they just laughed, the action not going unnoticed by Harry.

"Should I be expecting to be a godfather in around nine months?" Harry wagged his eyebrows. Ron and Hermione blushed ferociously and took a step away from each other.

"Geez, I was joking, but cheers if thats the case."

"Harry!" Hermione screamed.

Harry laughed to himself and looked at his two best friends. "I'm you two finally got your heads out of your arses." he said as he wiped his eyes and walked up the stairs of the boy's dormitory.

"I think Harry might have the right idea," Ron started. He noticed Hermione raise her eyebrows, "I mean, about sleep!" He walked over to her and kissed her cheek, "Goodnight, Hermione."

"Ron?"

"Yeah?"

"Stay with me?"

Ron felt a grin spread across his face, "Yeah, of course. I mean as long as the stairs to the girls dormitory don't try to kill me again."

"I honestly don't care we sleep at this point."

"We could go up to my old four-poster if you'd like." Ron offered.

"And have Harry take the mickey out of us again? I'd rather not," Hermione laughed, "Actually, theres a reading nook of sorts down in the library. We can maybe transfigure it to fit the both of us."

"Okay, brilliant."

Ron took hold of her hand and intertwined their fingers, relishing in the fact that it felt so natural, "After you." Hermione blushed and started leading them towards the library. They could hear the mixture of celebration and grief still going down stairs which made Ron grip Hermione's hand tighter. She gave him a tight lipped smile and opened the door to the library. He would grieve for his brother, tonight he was celebrating her. They somehow both made it out still breathing and healthy and he was, with out a doubt in his mind, head-over-heels in love with her.

"Ron," Hermione said snapping him back to reality, "Do you want to transfigure us some pillows while I make this nook larger?"

"Yeah, sure." He answered staring hard at her.

"You, um, might have to let go of my hand then." She smiled.

"Oh yeah. Right." He blushed and let go of her hand and gathered some books to transfigure.

"Um, I still have some pajamas for you if you'd like," Hermione told him reaching into her beaded bag.

"Yeah, brilliant."

As she got them out of her bag, he realized that she didn't get any for herself. "Hermione, you're gonna have to take those jeans off," Hermione turned scarlet red at the comment. "No!," he retorted realizing what just came out of his big mouth, "I just mean that you can't possibly be comfortable like that."

"All of mine are filthy." She replied after returning to a normal shade.

"Here, take mine then." Ron threw his shirt at her and her brow rose. "But what will you wear, Ron?"

"I'm a bloke, Hermione," he chuckled, "I normally don't sleep with a shirt anyway."

Hermione's breath hitched as she pictured sleeping next to a shirtless Ron. And without even thinking she got up and started undressing in front of him. She tore off her jumper and shirt leaving her in just a white cotton bra and her ratty jeans. Ron just watched her with his mouth wide open.

She threw shirt on and it hung on her like a nightdress so she slid her jeans off and climbed into the newly transfigured sofa nook. It took her a minute of Ron staring at her to realize what she just did.

"Oh God! I didn't even realize," she said putting her head in her hands, "I'm so embarrassed! I'm just so tired."

"No please," Ron replied sitting on the sofa tearing off his own shirt, "feel free to do that anytime you'd like. Seriously, whenever."

It was Hermione's turn to gape. He had defiantly had filled out nicely since they were children. He was a little thin from the lack of food on the horcrux hunt, but you could still defiantly tell where all the Quidditch practice had paid off.

"Oi woman! Take a picture, It'll last longer." Hermione blushed and playfully swatted his chest. Ron could swear he felt her hand linger.

"Hermione?" Ron asked as he turned on his side to face her. "I just really want you to know that I've wanted this for a long time. You know, you and me."

"Me too," she looked straight in his eyes, "Ron?"

"Hmm?"

"Kiss me." And for once in his life, he listened to what Hermione Granger told him to do.

This kiss was different then the two previous. This kiss was slow and tender. The kind of kiss that reassured him that this was real and that they could do this forever.

'Was that? No it couldn't be.' Ron thought to himself. 'Was that Hermione's tongue?' Just then Hermione opened his mouth with her own. 'Wow, she is a fast learner.' He thought he might just die that night after all.

After a few minutes, when they both needed air, they came up and just looked at each other. Examining the other's face for the first time up close.

"I love you."

Hermione looked up from the spot on his cheek that she had been counting the freckles on and met his eyes. There was nothing but truth in his blue irises. She then grinned like a mad man.

"I love you." It wasn't a response, it was a fact. A fact that she had been keeping a secret for the past four years.

"Wicked." he said just like he did when he was younger. He leaned in and kissed the tip of her nose.

"Ron, you missed." Hermione teased.

"You randy woman you," he retorted before pecking her lips. "But really Hermione, this is it. You're it for me. I need you to know what you're getting yourself into. This means that we'll date and fight and make up, preferably in a specific room in our own flat." They both smiled and blushed yet again, " I'll propose and try to make it perfect even though we both know it won't be. I'll cry when I see you walk down the isle because you look so bloody gorgeous. When you tell me that you're pregnant for the first time, I'll cry again and lift you off you're feet and kiss you with everything I have. She'll have my hair and your brains. Then we'll have another, and maybe some after that. We'll watch them grow up and we'll grow old together. But I promise you this. You're it for me, Hermione."

Hermione remained quiet and Ron thought that maybe he moved this a little too quickly. But then she broke into a smile. "How do you know our first will be a girl?" Ron smiled so wide he thought his face might break in half. "You're it for me too, Ron."

He kissed her forehead and she rested her head in the crook of his neck.

"Goodnight, Ron."

"Goodnight, Mione."

Yes, he'll grieve tomorrow. Tonight, he celebrated her.