AN: Can I ever express how sorry I am for this extremely late update? I'm a horrible person, I'm so sorry to keep everyone waiting. I didn't like how this chapter looked so I just started all over. I did find out that I'm a very slow writer who gets writer's block a lot. This chapter was becoming too long (about 5000 words) so I cut it into two parts.
I also edited the first chapter a bit so please go back and read it.
Hope you enjoy this chapter! :D
The pressure of Disapparting was crushing him before it suddenly released him onto something soft and slightly wet. He takes a moment to get his bearings back as the world before him spins sickly. He could smell the ocean as he scrambles to all fours, looking for the person that was supposed to be secured tightly in his arms.
Hermione.
He frantically looks around the beach until he finds her a few feet away. She looks too still and too quiet as he ran to her limp form. And he's scared. More than he ever was in his life. His heart races and blood pounds in his head.
"Bloody hell, please be alright!" He cries out as he looks over her quickly. She doesn't look like the Hermione he knew and loved. There are bruises and blood covering her too pale skin. A layer of cold sweat s her body as she trembles. The only thing that reassures him was her weak but steady pulse and her shallow breathing.
Very carefully, he scoopes her up into his arms and began to walk quickly to the little cottage in the distance. He can hear another crack in the distance and hopes it is Harry. He wanted to go check on his best mate but his need to help Hermione was greater so he continued on.
He couldn't believe how close they were to dying today. If they were a minute later Hermione could have died! He couldn't, wouldn't imagine a world without her. It was too much, she meant too much to him. It was too hard to think about all the what ifs that were going on in his head.
She's safe and alive, that's all that matters in Ron's head right now and he keeps repeating it in his head like a mantra. His arms tighten around Hermione as if to reassure that she was still here. He glances down, the moonlight casting a silvery glow on her pale face which contrasted sharply against the dark blood covering her skin. Ron still thought she was beautiful though. She was always beautiful to him and he wished he had told her along with another million other things. He only hoped that he would be able to tell her everything.
Someone yelling his name broke him out of his reverie. It was Bill, running towards him. "BILL! Help, she's hurt! You have to help her, please!" he yelled.
"Ron, what happened? Where –" he stops mid-sentence, taking in his bloodied form and the unconscious Hermione in his arms before saying "Get her inside, Fleur can help her."
Without another word, he rushes inside shouting for Fleur and climbing the stairs to the small bedroom he had stayed in before. Trying to be as gentle as he could, he lays Hermione on the small bed slowly. His hands hover over her, wanting to do something but scared that he was going to hurt her more.
He tries to make her more comfortable instead, taking her jacket and shoes off carefully. He finds the beaded bag stuffed in her sock. She must have hid it there to protect it. He felt the corner of his mouth curve up, "You're a genius Mione."
With a quick summoning spell he gets the bottle of dittany and begins dabbing it on the cuts on her face and neck. For some reason the cut on her neck wouldn't heal with the dittany. He made a mental note to ask Fleur. Her right hand is broken but he doesn't know how to fix it so he moves on. When he gets to her left hand, he sees it dripping with blood from a wound on her forearm. Dreading what was underneath, he carefully pulles her sleeve up, revealing the bloody wound. He quickly took off his sweater and transfigured it into a washcloth, wiping away the blood. As the blood cleared for a moment he finally saw the wound underneath.
For a moment all he saw was red. Pure rage boils underneath his skin, threatening to burst out. His hands shakes with the magnitude of his anger. He desperately wanted to go back to the Manor and see how Bellatrix would like it when she was under the Cruciatus Curse. He didn't want to just hurt her, he wanted blood. He wanted her dead.
He took a few deep breaths before the angry turned into raw pain and sorrow. The bloody letters seemed to jump out at him, emphasizing the one word they formed together: mudblood.
"Oh God. I'm sorry." Ron whispered even though he knew it wouldn't change anything. It wouldn't reverse the damage or the trauma done to the girl, no woman he loved. Dittany did nothing as it fizzled and burned causing Hermione to softly groan. For a few seconds all he could do was hold his breath and wait if she would wake up. When she didn't, he wrapped up the wound with the cloth until Fleur could hopefully heal it.
At that moment Fleur walks in with a handful of different potions, "Ron? What iz wrong? Are you – Oh mon dieu. What 'appened to 'ermione?"
"She's hurt. I don't know how badly. Please Fleur, you need to help her!" He pleads. "Of course." She nods as she put down all the potions on the nightstand.
"Ron, you must go. Zhis iz not for boys." Fleur instructs as she looks over Hermione. Ron blinks; he wasn't going to leave her. Never again and he told Fleur exactly that. She sighs but nods "Then you get 'er out of 'er shirt and put zhe blue cream on any bruises. I vill need to get zhe Skele-Gro and some other potionsShe broke a lot of 'er ribs."
"Me? But –" he manages to squeak out, his ears already turning red. "Oui, oui, I must get the potions." She replied and left with a small smile on her face at Ron's embarrassment.
Taking another deep breath, he points Wormtail's wand at the collar of her shirt. "Please don't kill me Hermione. Diffindo." Being very careful not to cut her, he slices her shirt so it would be easier to remove.
Very gently, he lifted her torso up taking her dirty jumper off, leaving Hermione in her bra. What he saw made him wince. Dark purple bruises cover her ribs and abdomen as if someone had splashed dark paint over her. There were small cuts from the chandelier everywhere and some small glass pieces were embedded into her side. Her back is bleeding from an unknown wound. And oh god she was so thin from the lack of food. He could count all her ribs. He knew that they all were thinner than before but it seemed like she was the worse out of all three of them. He could feel the shame burn though him, he had left them because of something so stupid. He didn't even realize at the time that Hermione and Harry were going through the same things as him. The Horcrux hunt had affected all three of them.
Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he turns his attention back to Hermione. He finishes putting the Dittany on her back and started on her other injuries. Getting the cream Fleur pointed out, he begins applying it on her bruises. The bruises caused by the Cruciatus Curse wouldn't heal as it was Dark magic. He also quickly healed the cheek that was hit. Moving on, he used a quick summoning charm to get the glass out and healed it.
Fleur came back in with healing books and potions. When she saw Hermione's body, she gasped, horrified at the sight of her injured body. "She was tortured wasn't she? How long vas she under the Cruciatus?" she asked quietly.
Ron gaped at her, "Oh do not look at me zhat way. I've wanted to be an 'ealer before I worked at Gringotts. I know vat ze curse does to a person." She replies taking out her wand and casting a spell that amplified the sound of Hermione's heart; she had to make sure it didn't stop beating. The soft thumping that filled the room was a great comfort to Ron.
"About," he swallows, trying not to choke on the lump in his throat, "About half any hour, give or take a bit. I'm not sure; it felt like forever before we escaped."
Fleur frowns and it looks wrong on her face but she couldn't care less. She was too focused on the child before her. It was a long time to be under such pain for an eighteen year old. Older and more experienced wizards and witches had succumbed to the pain after that long and she feared for Hermione's sanity. The aftershocks were sure to happen soon and though she knew Hermione's will was strong, she wasn't sure that her body could take any more damage.
"Alright, we vill need to –" She starts to say before Hermione screams; her body convulsing and her pulse skyrocketed. She let out a string of curses in French. "What's happening Fleur?" Ron cries out, scared half to death.
"Tis the aftershocks. Cruciatus leaves dark magic residue in zhe body. Hold 'er down." She quickly replies holding down her legs as Ron held down her shoulders.
Hermione's body continues to shake as she cries in pain and the sight of it was like physical pain to Ron. "Fleur, what can we do?" he pleaded. The memories of the night were threatening to overtake his mind, all filled with the same screams and the same panic. He pushes them away, trying to focus on the woman wrapped in his arms.
She shakes her head, tears in her eyes "Nothing. We can only wait and hope." Ron's heart sink. He feels so helpless and it kills him. He needed to do something; he never wanted Hermione to be hurt again. Not when he could do something about it.
And then she was still and absolutely silent. There was no heartbeat to be heard in the room. The silence was deafening, screaming at him. "Fleur? Did – did your spell wear off?" he croaks out praying that it was true.
Fleur shook her head, her face expressing her horror. Ron swore loudly before he started to do compressions. "Come on, Mione, you're stronger than this. Wake up." He muttered while trying to keep his compressions steady. "Do something Fleur! What's the spell to restart her heart?"
Fleur was frozen in shock "I – I don't know…"
Ron growled in frustration "Then find it! Hurry!" Fleur bit her lip, "Ron…"
"NO! She's not dying. She can't, she's everything to me. I fucking love her!" he yells out, not even noticing that he admitted his feelings her Hermione in front of Fleur. He's too focused on saving the love of his life. He was never so grateful that Hermione had forced Harry and him to learn the muggle CPR. He counted thirty compressions and then opened her mouth and blew two lungful of air into her's. This wasn't the way he imagined he would be doing when he had thought about their lips touching. He tried not to think about it however, as he started the compressions again.
Fleur scans her healer's book frantically. Each second that past was a second closer to being unable to save her. Then at long last, she found it "Ron, move!" He jerked out of the way a second before a blue light hit Hermione's chest. Her back arched before slumping back down. Ron held his breath.
Nothing. Fleur swore again before re-casting the spell. His nerves were close to snapping, one hand was permanently fisted in his hair. He couldn't live without her and frankly neither could Harry.
There was a moment of absolute silence that seemed to stretch forever.
And then there was the greatest sound that ever reached Ron's ear. It was a small thump but it meant she was alive and the relief that he felt overtook his whole body. He couldn't help it; he laughs "Bloody hell, thank God!" Fleur was relieved as well but quickly sobered up, getting back to work. She pours a cupful of the SkeleGro and gently pours it down Hermione's mouth.
But not even as half if it goes down, Hermione wakes up spluttering and choking before twisting awkwardly to the side and vomiting over the side of the bed. Ron jumps back in surprise, narrowing missing her mess before he rushes to her, trying to provide some sort of comfort. However as soon as she's done and he touches her she starts screaming and thrashing around. "NO, please! No more, please. Please!"
"Hermione! Mione, please, it's me Ron." He grabs her face gently, trying to get her to look at him. Her frantic eyes darted around the unfamiliar room, lost in her memories of darkness and pain. She struggles in his arms, thinking they belonged to someone much more sinister. But slowly with his reassuring words, her eyes focus on him and she stops struggling.
Her hand shakes as she reaches for his hair, running her fingers through the tangled mess. "Red…" she whispers so quietly he can barely hear her. He's confused and scared that the torture has messed with her mind but he doesn't get to voice his concern before she speaks again.
"Ron?" she croaks out in bewilderment, as if she couldn't be they were here. It is just his name but it brings tears in his eyes and makes his mouth curve to a watery grin. "Yeah, it's me. We're safe Hermione."
"Are – are you alright? And Harry?" she questions as she traces his features with her hand and looks for any injuries. It's so Hermione that it makes Ron almost snort. She always cared more for other than herself, even if it was her that was tortured.
"Seven years and you still need to sort out your priorities. I'm fine, Harry is fine too." She nods, leaning her head on his chest.
"What hurts Hermione?" he asks, worried about her quietness. It's a moment before she raspy answers "Hard to breathe and body's sore." Ron frowns and he knows that she is downplaying her pain but says instead "Ok, we're going to fix you up, kay?" She nods again.
Fleur hates to ruin the moment but the girl has injuries that she really should heal. "You 'ave about five broken ribs and a broken finger. You need ze SkeleGro and I vill give you some pain reliever too." She pours another cup of the steaming potion and brings it to the girl's lips. Hermione manages to drink all of it but not without gagging a couple times.
After she gives the pain reliever she looks over Hermione and stops at her left forearm. The wound underneath was still bleeding, staining the towel wrapped around it a crimson red. Ron follows her stare but is unable to speak. He was once again overcome with the guilt and pain that his love had to go through such pain. He couldn't even begin to imagine how she felt.
Fleur reaches for her arm but as soon as she reaches within a few inches of it, Hermione flinches away, cradling her arm close to her chest.
"Hermione, please we can heal it." He pleads but she shakes her head. "You can't. It's dark magic." She whispers and he hates how she sounds. Her eyes are dull and her voice is void of all emotion like she has retreated within herself.
"At least let us wrap it up properly. It's going to get infected." He replies. It's another long moment before she gives a tiny nod.
Ron slowly unwraps the towel revealing the bloody letters again. Fleur, who hasn't seen it before has to stifle her gasp behind a hand but gives him the bandages and disinfectant. He pours it on a piece of gauze before gently wiping each letter. And though he tries his best to make it as painless as he could, the cool liquid still makes Hermione involuntary whimper in pain.
When he's done he wraps it up in the white bandage and fastens it in place. Hermione has fallen asleep, too exhausted to keep her eyes open any longer. There are heavy dark shadows under eyes to show. Fleur wraps her ribs up and dresses her in a new shirt before beginning to pack up. They had done all they could do for now.
Before she goes out the door she said gravely "You must look after 'er Ron." He starts to protest on how he would always but she stopped him "I know you vill but you need to watch 'er carefully. Some – sometimes it iz not zhe actual curse that makes people insane, it iz zhe aftereffects."
The gravity of her words lingered in the room as she left, and all the emotions he had repressed came out. It overwhelmed his entire being, making him punch the wall, yelling out in anger and in pain. He knew that they were in a war and that people would get hurt or killed but today hit too close home. He never imagined what would happen if any one of them died. It was horrifying and way too much to all take in at once, and Ron found that tears were running down his face without his permission.
And then the dam broke and he collapsed onto his knees by Hermione, sobbing for the first time since he was a little kid. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." He kept repeating it, hoping that she would wake up and forgave him again for letting her down.
He didn't know how long he had cried for but must have been at least twenty minutes. He felt a hand brushing his hair as he finally managed to stop sobbing, though a few tears still leaked out. Thinking Fleur had come back, he appreciated the comfort until he heard the voice croaking "I don't think I've ever seen you cry."
His head whipped up so fast, he almost got whiplash but he didn't care because Hermione was awake with tired eyes and a small half smile. "Hey." she murmured.
He managed half a grin as he said "I just nearly had a breakdown because of you and you just say hey?" Her smile grew.
It was a secret game they had played with each other, using each other's lines when the time was appropriate. They both secretly loved it, smiling whenever the other repeated something they said.
"Crying sort of ruins my manly reputation, don't you think?" He says in an attempt at humour. It works though as she rolls her eyes, muttering "Boys." under her breath.
"How are feeling?" It worries him how she never cried, keeping all her emotions bottled up. It wasn't like her at all.
Her beautiful eyes flash with hidden hurt before looking away, "I've been better." Not the answer he was looking for but he didn't push. He didn't want her to completely withdrawn from them.
Bill and Fleur came in "Harry is digging a grave for Dobby. Maybe you can help him Ron." His jaw dropped and so did Hermione's. Dobby, dead?
"How?" his voice sounds strangled. Bill's face is grim "A knife in the chest." In the corner of his eye he can see Hermione's lip trembling, tears in her eyes. "Go help him." She says.
It kills him to even leave her out of his sight but he knows she's right. Hermione was always right. And so he softly kisses her forehead and goes helps his other best mate in need.
Please review, I love hearing what you guys have to say, good or bad.
Also have a good time watching Deathly Hallows part 2, I'm going in a few hours and I'm so excited to see it! Especially the kiss!
- XyellowmellowxX