The Heart of Love
By Fidelius Charm
Summary: She had told him she never wanted to be alone. He had promised to never let that happen, because he is a man of his word.
Note: This was inspired by Death Cab for Cutie's "I'll Follow you Into the Dark". It would be appropriate to listen to this very beautiful song while you're reading this, but you don't have too if you don't want too. At first I was writing this story for a different couple, but it seemed wrong, only Ron and Hermione could fit here.
"I can't say I was surprised when I found out what had happened. Deeply saddened, broken, alone; yeah I felt all of those things. Surprised? Not in the slightest. They loved each other; it was clear as day and dark as night, it was the something beautiful that grew out of the dark times. You could tell by the way they looked at each other that they were in the kind of love that lasted forever." Harry looked out to the sea of black that sobbed salty tears under the setting sun. He wanted to sob, he wanted to scream, he wanted to die but he couldn't. All he could do was continue moving forward,
"Hermione was something else. The way she could light up the room with her enthusiasm and her yearning for knowledge—God, I wish I could see it again. Her eyes would just glow with joy every time she opened up a new book, I've never seen something so bright in my life. Everyone knows that though, Hermione was smarter than any one of us could ever hope to be. She was our small trio's voice of logic and reason and because of her we weren't expelled from Hogwarts about six times, but most of you know about my discipline record there thanks to the Daily Prophet." Harry sniffed back tears, his voice shaky, he began to speak faster, "What you didn't know was that she lived to help others, whether it was with homework or personal issues or whatever. She always held out a hand, and usually never asked for anything in return but a little respect. She laid down her life for mine, and I know in my heart I owe her all the respect in the world." Harry felt his eyes well with tears, and he couldn't stop them from falling.
His body shook with sorrow. The mourners watched the young man who had been the defeater of Voldemort slowly be defeated by his own words. Molly Weasely had made her way up to the twenty year old and embraced him in a hug. The man seemed like a young boy in her loving arms, his head placed on her shoulder. She whispered to him and smoothed out his hair in a maternal way. She pulled away from him, her small hands still on his shoulder, and told him something encouraging and warm. She smiled for him, he smiled back if only slightly. Wiping away a tear and kissing him on the cheek she left him to continue his eulogy.
"Sorry…" He muttered slightly, sniffing. He received forgiving glances from most of the audience. Even Severus Snape gave a slight nod of acceptance to his former pupil. So he continued, "Ron was my best friend. He still is, and there will never be a replacement for him. He was the kind of guy who was a loyal friend no matter what. You could bribe him with gold, or fame, or a new Quidditch broom," He received a slight chuckle from Ron's brothers, "Yet he'd never turn on a friend, or relative. He stood by you whether you were right or wrong because he believed in you. He believed in you wholeheartedly and without doubt. As we entered the Ministry of Magic he had told me that I could defeat Voldemort, that I had survived Potions with Snape for five years and nothing could be worse. He believed in me when I couldn't believe in myself, it's what gave me the courage to move forward alone," Harry chuckled awkwardly at the personal memory, "He could always make you smile, make you laugh. I miss that, because now nothing makes me laugh, not the way I used to. But then again I can never be truly happy without Ron, or Hermione. They were what kept me going when everyone turned their backs on me, they made me smile and laugh, and I told them things I'd never tell another soul. They were my lifelines in a world that sometimes left me without a penny to my name. You can't get that back, and you can never be happy." Harry scanned the crowd and made eye contact with the Weasely family.
"All you can do is remember them, who they were, how they loved each other, and how they died for all of us. Please don't leave here and forget them, don't let them fade into the abyss of yesterday because they were good people who fought for what they believed in, and that doesn't get recognized enough in this world."
Harry stepped down from the podium and made his way to the Weasely's where Mrs. Weasley was waiting to embrace him again. No one spoke, and for what seemed like years there was a heavy silence that draped itself like a heavy quilt. Then Luna Lovegood stood, applauding and crying, Neville standing up quickly afterwards. Soon the whole group was applauding the savior of the wizarding world who was cradled in the arms of his surrogate mother. He would never be the same, none of them would.
"HERMIONE!" Ron screamed as he pulled her towards him, she just barely misses being hit by the Killing Curse. The two recover quickly and point their wands at their attackers. They are in the Department of Mysteries for the second time in their young lives surrounded by Death Eaters who have infiltrated yet again.
"Pathetic, you two think you'll be able to succeed against us five?" A hooded figure steps forward, Ron immediately steps in front of Hermione, who in turn grabs his hand. They were united as one force of magic.
"You'd be surprised." Ron smirks, "EXPEL-"
"AVADA KEDAVRA!"
"RON!"
Hermione felt the weight in her hand shoot rapidly away from her, Ron's body flies through the air and vanishes. Hermione eyes adjust and see a faint black fabric, a veil. She screams in rage.
"AVADA KEDAVRA!"
"AVADA KEDAVRA!"
"AVADA KEDAVRA!"
"AVADA KEDAVRA!"
It stopped. The green light faded into the darkness of the Department all that could be seen was Hermione standing tall, surrounded by the corpses of Death Eaters. She dropped her wand to the ground, tears now falling from her hazel brown eyes. Her hair was in shambles and her clothes were covered in the blood and sweat of a warrior. She turned to see the veil that had claimed a second victim right before her very eyes.
"Ron…" She reached out into the darkness of the veil, her hand greeted by something warm and large, it felt like Ron's hand.
"AVADA KEDAVRA!"
Hermione's eyes widen for the last time as she fell gracefully into the depths of the veil. The unity shared between the two lovers never fading in the process.
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