A one-shot of Ron & Hermione set during DH. I thought it would be a nice for them to have a moment where they shared how they felt about being without each other. First time writing anything like this so let me know what you think and please be nice
As much as I would love to have Ron, Hermione and Harry, they belong to JK Rowling. I own nothing.
'The stars seemed to be sparkling more than ever' Ron thought to himself as he looked up at the sky. There were very few things to do whilst on the midnight watch and as thinking of the recent events just saddened him, he thought that watching the stars was the best thing for his sanity. He saw what looked like a muggle aeroplane flying overhead after about an hour or so outside and as he watched it move from west to east, he allowed himself to get lost in the skies above him.
The dim light inside the tent made it so Hermione could only spend a short time reading before her eyes got tired, much to her annoyance but as Harry had already fallen asleep on the bunk bed behind her, she had no choice but to keep it as dark as possible. After reading Dumbledore's children's book for the hundredth time, she laid it on the small table next to the sofa she had been sitting on and went to the small kitchen area to make some tea. 'Probably should make Ronald some', she thought to herself in a half angry, half guilty tone.
Through the small opening in the tent she could see him lying down with just a fire to keep him warm. The guilt she had felt since shouting at him a few days before swept over her. He looked so vulnerable out there alone – he also looked cold, and with the thought of Ron freezing outside, Hermione reluctantly picked up one of the extra blankets she had in her beaded bag, grabbed the two cups of tea and as quietly as she could, crept outside to join Ron.
Though the distance between the tent and Ron was only a few feet it seemed to take Hermione a long time to get there.
"Bloody hell 'Mione, you scared me to death!". Ron jumped up so he was now sitting with his hands flat on the floor. "Don't you know not to step on twigs while its pitch black?"
"Honestly Ronald, you have a fire right next to you. I was only coming to see if you needed a blanket and to bring you some tea."
"Oh, sorry…erm thanks". He said rather sheepishly as he took the blanket and put it around his shoulders and placed the tea next to him.
As Hermione turned to head back towards the tent she sighed as if to shake off her anger at what had just happened because as much as she hated in when Ron annoyed her, she hated how he always apologised straight after, and he always meant it.
At first she thought it was the echo of her own voice when she heard another sigh coming from behind her.
"Hermione?" Ron had turned the upper half of his body to face her as he spoke, almost whispering her name.
She turned rather quickly in her frustration.
"Yes Ronald, what do you want?"
"Well…I'd kinda like my best friend back, if that's possible?" This took her by surprise; she had expected him to ask for food or something. "I know I've been an arse and the way I left before…and then the way I came back like nothing had happened, well I…I'm sorry, for everything. The last thing you and Harry needed was me acting like a stupid little kid." His voice was shaky but sincere and he turned back to the fire not expecting Hermione to say anything in reply, but to his surprise she was sitting down next to him, her legs tucked tightly into her chest with her arms across her body.
"You hurt me Ron. Do you know how much you hurt me when you left?" She looked down and rested her chin on her knees. "No explanation, you just disappeared and I had no idea where you were. You scared the hell out of me. Then you come back after weeks acting like my knight in shining armour. Did you expect us to throw a party for you? Or say everything had been forgotten. Did you expect me to run and jump into your arms and tell you how happy I was that you were back, that you were here and I could sleep at night knowing that you would keep me safe?"
Whether it was the truth in that last statement, or the fact that she had shown him how broken she was about everything, she couldn't help but lose against her battle with the tears building in her eyes. They turned their heads to look at each other and as the firelight caught Hermione's face, she began to sob. "Every day you were gone, I thought of nothing else except how much I wanted you here – how much I needed you here."
Hearing these words made Ron's heart sink. He had no idea that everything he had been thinking while he was gone was exactly what Hermione had been thinking. He too had wanted her to be there next to him. He had longed for her to hold him the way she did after they had landed at The Burrows after Mad-Eye's death. How could he tell her? After hearing how scared she was, he knew his words wouldn't be enough to convince her that he was staying for good this time, that he wouldn't get angry and dissaperate again.
He turned to face her, leaning on his right hand and pulling the blanket from around his shoulders to settle on his lap. The firelight was glowing on Hermione's face, and he moved closer to her, using his left hand to wipe away the tears.
"Hey", he said turning her chin towards his face so they were only inches apart, his misty blue eyes locked on her deep brown eyes. "If it makes you feel any better, I hated every second that I was away. Every night I would wake up sweating after seeing you tortured in my sleep while Harry's dead body lay next to you. I tried to build up the courage to come back but not knowing how you would react was killing me. The last thing I wanted was for you to hate me. I know what I did was wrong but I'm here now and I don't want to be anywhere else" As Hermione took in Ron's words she looked down at his hand only a touch away from hers. She placed her fingers on top and looked at him with a warm smile, a way of saying she forgave him without having to embarrass herself by speaking the words. If he had really felt just as horrible as she did those past weeks then he needed the comfort just as much as she did.
"Blimey 'Mione, your hands are like ice. Come here" He pulled her towards him with force and held her in his arms after wrapping the blanket around their shoulders. As she lay there next to him with her head resting on Ron's chest, she could do nothing else but stare into the fire and take in this moment. They had been through so much, but right now she was sharing a moment of quiet, a moment of peace, a moment she thought she may never get again with the love of her life.
"Ron, your heart is beating so fast."
"Really?" He blushed and rested his head on hers. "Hermione, this is the best I've felt in a long time"
"Me too, Ronald. I don't think you will ever realise how safe I feel with you, especially here, in your arms" There were a few seconds of silence before she turned towards him and tilted her head upwards cupping his face in her hand. The touch of Hermione's skin on his cheek sent a shiver all through his body, right to the tip of his toes. He moved his hand to her hips, stroking her body as he leaned in and placed a soft, passionate kiss on her almost blue lips. She began to run her other hand through his knotty ginger hair and turned so she was straddling him, his heart beating against her chest. Their lips locked once again and Ron slid his hands to the small of her back, pulling her as close to him as possible. She felt Ron's tongue tickle her bottom lip and she opened her mouth enough to let him slide in. After a few minutes of snogging they both pulled back to catch their breath.
"I love you so much Hermione" Ron whispered.
"I love you too," She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him, placing another soft kiss on his lips.
"Erm, Hermione, we have a problem"
She turned her head so quickly thinking they had been seen by some snatchers, that her bushy hair flicked Ron in the face.
"What?" She asked him in a frightened tone"
"My cup of tea went cold before I had chance to drink it" He smiled and giggled as she slapped his arm, still sitting on his lap.
"I thought it was something serious"
"I could die of dehydration, plus the below freezing temperatures out here. Wouldn't want that to happen to your man would you?"
"My man", she said echoing his last words, "I like that."
He rubbed her arms and looked into her sparkling eyes.
"Me too, baby but you better go inside and get some sleep. As much as I would love the company, I want you to be safe. Don't worry; I'll shout you or Harry if I need you"
The smile on his face reassured her that now everything would be okay. She got up, took the blanket in her arms and as she hugged Ron from behind; she wrapped it around his body. He caught her hands around his neck and kissed the tips of her fingers.
"Go back to watching the stars" She whispered into his ear.
Hermione kissed the top of his head, picked up the cold cups of tea and entered the tent, looking back over her shoulder at the man she loved, smiling. She knew that tonight she would be able to have her first proper night sleep in weeks.