A/N: Hello everyone! I recently have been back on , rereading my stories (many of which I now find quite...shall we say interesting), and decided that I needed to write another! Please remember to review! I really hope you enjoy this one!

Special Thanks to teamweasley67 for all her help! Best friend ever! Check out some of her work- she's an amazing writer!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series or any of it's characters.

Afterwards

Chapter 1

"Ok, so what happened next?" Seamus asked eagerly, his eyes fixated on the trio.

It had been three weeks since the final battle. Tears had been shed, funerals had been held, and everyone mourned the loss of their loved ones. Despite the sorrows that remained in the wizarding world, a great weight had been lifted off of everyone's shoulders- the Dark Lord was dead. There was laughter again, families were reunited, and the Ministry of Magic was back in order. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was being rebuilt back to its original state, along with many homes of its students. For that reason, the Burrow provided a comfortable, albeit slightly crowded shelter for many of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger's friends. The Golden Trio was currently explaining the happenings of their adventure during the past year, to find and destroy Lord Voldemort's horcruxes, to their former schoolmates.

"One night, I was on watch outside the tent. I kept thinking that I was hearing things, and suddenly I saw this bright light in the woods. I decided to follow it, and it turned out to be a patronus- a doe. It led me to this pond in a clearing. At the bottom of the pond was the sword of Gryffindor! I knew that the only way to get to it was to jump in. I suppose I should have thought it through a bit more-"

Ron scoffed at Harry's words. "Oh shut it, Ron. Anyways, I jumped in, sort of drowned a bit, and next thing I know, Ron is pulling me out of the water! I knew it was him who had to destroy the locket. I opened it up using parsletongue and…" Harry shared a cursory glance at Ron.

"…and…er, well, I stabbed it!" Ron finished weakly, the tips of his ears turning a light shade of pink.

"Is it just me, or are you two not being completely honest?" Hermione asked, noticing the look between the two boys. The others in the room agreed.

"Er, well, the horcrux…had a mind of its own. It sort of…tried its best to upset me and distract me from destroying it."

"How? What do you mean?" Hermione asked, a look of curiosity upon her face.

"It was nothing, really," Harry replied. "Anyways…" Trying to change the subject, he continued with their story, telling in detail about the deathly hallows and the alarming occurrence at the Lovegood's home. He slowed to a stop after he reached the topic of the capture that lead to their unpleasant incident at Malfoy Manor. He looked over at Ron and Hermione.

"Erm…" Harry watched as Hermione shifted her position ever so slightly away from the group, her eyes downcast in discomfort. Ron on the other hand was completely still. His fists were clenched, he stared straight ahead; his body language was clearly showing that this was a touchy subject.

"Is something wrong?" inquired Ginny. She was the only person who seemed to notice the strange behaviors of the three friends.

"Well," Harry cleared his throat. "When we arrived at Malfoy Manor, Ron and I were thrown into the dungeon. The death eaters kept Hermione to question her about the Sword of Gryffindor, and Bellatrix-" Hermione flinched at the name and stood up abruptly.

"Right, OK. We don't have to talk about this," Harry began.

"No, no it's fine," Hermione interrupted. "I'm just going to get some fresh air. Go ahead without me," and with that, she hurried out of the crowded room and quickly tiptoed down the steps of the otherwise sleeping Burrow.

Hermione made her way out the back door that lead to the garden and sat down on a rickety wooden bench. A cool spring breeze washed over her, bringing with it the scents of lilacs and roses, and she took a deep breath to try to calm herself. Since it had happened, she had just been trying to forget everything: the pain, the terror, the look of pure evil in Bellatrix's eyes, even her own screams, which echoes in her head every night while she was trying to sleep. Leaning forwards, Hermione burrowed her head in her hands and finally allowed herself to cry.

As it was considerably cool outside, she shivered and pulled her legs up to her chest, hugging them tightly to her body. She was lost in thought for several minutes when she became aware of a blanket being draped around her shoulders and the warmth of a body sitting next to her. There was only silence for a brief moment. Then, "Hey. Are you OK?"

Hermione recognized Ron's gentle, comforting voice. Without thinking, she buried her face in his chest. She tried to stop her tears and breathed in his familiar, clean scent. Ron's arm instinctively wound itself around her, and he held her until her shaking had stopped.

"Sorry," Hermione finally spoke, and she pulled away quickly, embarrassed by her momentary lack of composure.

"Hermione, you don't always have to be perfect, you know, " Ron softly chuckled, as if reading her mind. "No one is. It makes perfect sense that you'd get upset talking about…what happened. I mean, I couldn't even stay in the room…I can't imagine how you must feel."

Hermione gave a small smile and turned towards Ron, finally allowing him to see her face. After a brief moment she asked, "So why did you come down here anyways? Don't you want to finish telling everyone about our "incredible adventure", as Seamus would say?"

"I guess I couldn't handle talking about it either," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh? And why is that?"

"It was hard enough to be there in person- actually hearing you screaming. Sorry," Ron apologized as Hermione flinched. "Well, it's almost just as difficult to talk about it." Hermione nodded at this, knowing exactly what he meant, as that was just how she felt about the situation.

"I wonder how Harry can still be up there talking about it," she pondered aloud, glancing up with anticipation at Ron, who seemed to be lost in thought.

"Well," Ron began sheepishly, trying to find the right words. "Harry loves you. He always says that you're like his sister. Of course it's hard for him to talk about, but…it's not the same. If you were Ginny, he'd be down here in a heartbeat. For me, it's like…." Hermione could feel her heart quicken its pace. Could he really be about to say what she'd been waiting for all these years? "Like what, Ron?" She asked breathlessly.

"It's, erm, well, it's like it was me that was being tortured. Hermione… that night, when I couldn't do anything to help you…it was the most painful thing I've ever…"Ron sighed and turned to face Hermione. Even in the dark she could tell that his face was bright red, and she could feel a blush creeping up her own neck as their eyes met. They became quiet for a moment, both of them trying to think of the right thing to say next.

"Ron, I…"Hermione began, but then she paused, unsure how to continue. Ron opened his mouth as if to say something as well, but stopped. He reached up a hand, hesitated, and then gently tucked a loose hair behind her ear. Hermione's face grew warmer, and the fact that his hand lingered on her skin did not help the matter. He slowly brought his hand down and rested it right next to hers, their finger tips touching ever so slightly, which sent that familiar surge of electricity through her body that occurred every time he touched her.

"It's just that...after everything we've been through…if something had happened to you," Ron took a deep breath," I don't know how I could ever live with myself. I mean, if you, the one person I care about more than anyone else in the world…if you were gone, honestly, I don't think I would be able to go on, myself."

Hermione's breath caught in her throat, realizing what he just said. Apparently he did to, for he suddenly went wide eyed, and looking incredibly self conscious, he moved his hand quickly away from hers and placed in on the back of his neck. I was quite evident that Ron had lost his confidence, and he stood up abruptly, looking very much like he wanted to leave a soon as he could. Hermione stood up as well.

"I….erm…"he stuttered, his face looked even redder than before, if it were possible, and he slowly began to step backwards, away from Hermione. She reached out and grabbed his wrist, pulling him back to her.

"Wait," she said softly, pulling him even closer, so that they were almost nose to, well, chin. She gazed up at him, took a deep breath and, with all the courage she could muster, she reached up and placed her hands on his chest. "If some ever happened to you," she breathed," I wouldn't be able to go on either." With that she stood on her toes and gently placed her lips on his.

Up in Ron's bedroom, a crowd of teenagers stood by the window, looking down at the kissing couple. Girls sighed happily, boys laughed, and many people in the room exchanged bet money. Harry smiled and turned away from the window.

"Finally!" he exclaimed, and he sat back down to continue to tell his friends of Ron's legendary pigmy puff tattoo.

A/N: I hope you liked it! Please Review! I always look forward to hearing readers thoughts, comments, and (constructive) criticism! There will be a new chapter at somepoint within the next couple of weeks!

Thanks again to teamweasley67! Be sure to check out her profile!