Author's Note: This one-shot is also part of a longer story about what happens after the war, but I figured I'd put it up as a one-shot as well, for those of you who don't want to read the longer story. Please let me know what you think!
United in Grief
By: ChoCedric
Ron and Hermione walked from Dumbledore's office back to the Great Hall after Harry had left them. They knew he needed time to gather his thoughts after all that had happened, and hopefully Ginny and he would be able to spend some much-needed time together. Ron knew he had to go and see his family now, and he felt comforted by Hermione coming to support him.
When they reached the Great Hall, a pit of dread formed in the bottom of Ron's stomach. He'd been trying not to think about it in Dumbledore's office, but he knew that now he had to face the loss of his brother Fred. He'd be in the Great Hall, the rest of his family still surrounding him. Fred, dead ... the thought was unfathomable. Fred had seemed so alive, as if he were immortal. The thought of him lying on the floor, no sparkle left in his eyes, no mischief, no intelligence, no life, was mind-boggling and so, so devastating.
"It's going to be all right, Ron," said Hermione gently as he hesitated at the doors. "I'll be here with you the whole time. Come on, Ron."
So, slowly, they opened the doors and entered the room. No sooner had they got there than the sound of the room's occupants assaulted them. They could hear the sobs of several people as they surrounded their loved ones who had not survived the battle, with others comforting them. The noises made Ron's heart rip in two. He searched the room, looking for the familiar mass of redheads.
After a moment, he found them. They were all still grouped around Fred, with George still kneeling at his twin's head, his entire body heaving with anguished sobs. Quickly, and holding Hermione's hand for support, he walked over.
His father was the first one to spot the couple. Standing up, he held his arms open for them. "Ron, my boy," he said softly as he hugged him. "And Hermione." He embraced her as well. "I'm so, so relieved. Thank Merlin you two are okay."
"Thank you, Mr. Weasley," Hermione said just as softly. "You, too. I'm ... I'm so sorry about Fred."
Mr. Weasley just gave her a shaky smile, but gratitude was in his eyes. "Molly," he whispered, walking over to his sobbing wife and putting an arm around her. "Molly, Ron and Hermione are here."
Molly lifted her tearstained face from her hands and stared at her son, her son who had grown up so much in the last year. "Oh, Ronnie," she whimpered as she ran over and threw herself at him. "Oh, my Ronnie. Oh, my poor baby."
"Mum," Ron said thickly, tears gathering in his eyes. In the past, he'd always been embarrassed when his mother acted this way, but now, he couldn't care less. He let her hug him, so relieved to be back with his family again. "It's okay, Mum. It's okay. I'm here now."
Mrs. Weasley continued to sob, pulling Hermione into the embrace. All three held each other for several minutes, feeling crushing grief and incredible relief in equal measure.
When they finally let go, Ron and Hermione slowly walked over to where George was kneeling. They saw that Percy was embracing him, tears pouring down his face. George held Fred's hand in a firm grip, looking into his twin's frozen face, his lifeless eyes still staring into nothingness. George was gazing straight into them, trying in vain to establish a connection which was not there anymore. "Freddie," he moaned over and over again as his shoulders heaved. "Freddie, Freddie, Freddie, no, no, no, no, no."
"George," said Percy softly, his own voice thick with misery and guilt. "Georgie, we have to move Fred now. We have to move him to the chamber off the Great Hall."
"No," said George as he continued to stare into Fred's eyes. "No, no, no. I don't want ... I don't want to leave him."
"He's gone, George," Percy said, squeezing his little brother tightly. "There's nothing we can do for him now but make him comfortable. I'm so sorry, so, so sorry." He tenderly reached out to close Fred's eyes, but George suddenly let out a harsh shout.
"Don't touch him!" he hollered. "Don't touch him!" His whole body shook as howls emanated from his throat.
"George ..." Ron whispered as tears began to flow from his own eyes. The scene in front of him was heartbreaking - he'd never seen his brother so broken. "George, he would want you to let him go."
"No!" screamed George, squeezing Fred's hand in a death-grip now. "No, no, no! I can't leave him, I won't leave him! You can't take him from me!"
Ron turned away from George, and buried his face in Hermione's robes. She was crying as well, and the two clung to each other as they witnessed members of the Weasley family gently try to relinquish Fred's hand from George's grip. "Why?" Ron sobbed into Hermione's bloodstained robes. "Why did this have to happen? I can't watch this, I can't take it. We have to get out of here."
Silently, Hermione agreed. No matter how selfish it seemed, her heart could not take anymore, and she knew that Ron was about to explode with the bottled-up rage and grief. She shot Mr. Weasley an apologetic look and mouthed, "We'll be back in a bit."
Mr. Weasley, though, seemed to understand. He nodded somberly, and Hermione gently took Ron's hand and guided him out of the Great Hall. She walked down corridors, tears blinding her, until she found an empty classroom. Steering Ron inside, she sank to the floor, bringing Ron down with her.
And for the next few minutes, she simply held him for dear life as Ron wailed. "Why?" he shouted between hysterical sobs. "Why did it have to be him? Why Fred? Why George? Bloody hell, Hermione, WHY?"
Hermione didn't answer, because she knew there was nothing she could say. All she could do was simply hold him, letting her tears fall as the same questions burned through her mind. Why did it take all this bloodshed for the war to finally end? Why did they, at only eighteen years old, have to witness such cruelty? Why did the world have to be so damaged?
After several minutes, Ron's screams and sobs finally subsided, and he lifted his head from Hermione's robes, his face red and blotchy. "I'm sorry," he croaked hoarsely. "I ... I didn't mean to fall apart like that."
"Ron," Hermione said gently, her face close to his, "You have nothing to be sorry for. Nothing at all. I promise you, Ron, I'm going to help you get through this. We'll get through this together, I swear."
And without even thinking about it, Ron leaned into her and kissed her, putting all the raw emotion of the last several hours into it. Hermione kissed back just as fiercely. This was the same intensity as the one they'd shared during the battle.
After several seconds, they pulled away, and Hermione managed a shaky smile. "We'll be okay, won't we?" she asked, taking Ron's hand within hers.
"We ... we will," Ron replied, letting out a shuddering sigh. "But please stay with me, Hermione. I need you. Please."
"Don't worry," said Hermione gently, hugging him to her again. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise you that."
And sitting there in that empty classroom, holding onto one another like they would break if they let go, Ron and Hermione knew that the road in front of them would be long and treacherous, but they would ride out the storm together.