Hello, this update is one day late so sorry about that. I'll try and get the next one on in 13 days. I reposted this chapter because I missed out Ron contacting her parents, using the notes he had written.

Thanks again to my beta - ObsessedRHShipper and Happy Easter!

CHAPTER TWO

oOo

"Ron, get up!" Hermione nudged his arm.

"Uhh," he mumbled.

"I can't believe I agreed to do this every day for the rest of my life. Oh well, no kisses for you," she muttered sarcastically.

Wanting his kiss, Ron quickly sat up at the sound of this to see Hermione sitting on the end of the bed in a dark blue jumper and jeans. "I can't believe I get to wake up to the sight of you every day," Ron sighed sleepily. "Where's my morning kiss?" He growled, crawling across the bed to Hermione before giving her a long kiss.

"Now that, I wouldn't mind doing everyday for the rest of my life," she grinned. "Hurry up, I want to eat with my future husband," she said as she walked towards the kitchen.

He hastily pulled on an orange shirt, realized it clashed with his hair and had many holes, but he didn't really care; he was engaged to the most beautiful witch alive. He brushed his teeth and went to join Hermione. She was sitting on a kitchen stool around the island and had a mug of coffee in one hand, and the Daily Prophet in the other. Ron waved his wand and pancakes started cooking themselves before going to wrap his arms around Hermione's waist and put his chin on her shoulder, inhaling the sweet aromas of her hair. In his opinion, it was the best scent in the world. Hermione sipped her coffee and then started admiring her ring. "You know, the ring won't disappear," he smirked.

"I know, but it feels almost too good to be true. I want to know, since when have you been thinking about proposing?" she asked. Pancakes floated over on a plate and Ron sat down and started eating.

"Probably since Harry proposed to Ginny and my mum started asking me about my future," he replied, eating another mouthful.

"And what do you want for your future?" she smirked.

"You and er, our ginger children who have your eyes and brains, and love Quidditch and chess. Haven't you ever thought about it?" He started eating again.

"Yes, many times since we confessed our feelings on the dock."

~
It was a month after the war and Hermione was currently sitting inside The Burrow, with Ginny, Harry and Ron trying to cool off. Mrs. Weasley was busy in the kitchen, and Mr. Weasley was at work. Bill, Fleur, Charlie, Percy and George had returned to their homes the day before and that left them alone for the first time since the end of the war.

Later that morning, Ginny was asleep on Harry's lap and he was stroking her hair. It had taken Ron a little while to get used to them being together but agreed that he would rather have his best friend date Ginny than someone else. Hermione sat on the sofa opposite him reading another book, her eyes darted back and forth and she would occasionally bite her lip. Ron was pretending to read the Quidditch section of the Daily Prophet, while in fact he was studying Hermione. He summoned all his Gryffindor courage and stood up.

"Hermione, do you want to go on a walk?" he asked looking hopeful.

"Sure, let me first take this upstairs," she closed her book and went to put it away.

Harry smiled knowingly and said, "Good luck," which made Ron feel a little more ease. They had discussed Ron's situation prior to this; Harry told Ron that Hermione felt the same way as he did; only Ron didn't believe it was true.

Hermione came back down and they went outside and walked around the plot until they came to the dock by the lake. They sat down, took their shoes off and dipped their feet into the cool lake.

"Ron."

"Hermione." They had both spoken at the same time. They blushed and Hermione motioned for Ron to go first, while he insisted she go first.

"I think you should go first, since you brought us outside," she smiled.

"And they don't call you the smartest witch of our age for nothing," Ron chuckled. "Anyway, I have something I need to tell you, er, how to start... How about, you kissed me?"

"Yes, I did... but I recall you responding enthusiastically," Hermione countered as she blushed. She then looked down towards their feet.

"Yeah, because I wasn't brave enough. Like the horcrux hunt, and the Yule ball and Lavender and I've always been a prat to you, but you always forgave me, and I think that you're the greatest best friend anyone could ask for." Hermione's face deflated a little but Ron didn't notice. He carried on staring at the water and rambling, "But I feel as if there's something more between us." At this, Hermione's grew very hopeful. "And I get it if you don't feel the same because I don't deserve you. I'm not famous like Viktor or Harry or as good-looking as McLaggen, but inside me there's this ball of hope...hope that you return the same feelings, because I know I love you." He lifted her chin during the last sentence and looked into her eyes, feeling relieved at finally having confessed his feelings.

"Ron, my feelings towards you will never be like the feelings that I have for Harry, Viktor, or McLaggen." Ron went from relieved to upset. "And you should stop comparing yourself to them because it's you I love and you alone." Ron's eyes lit up and he beamed.

"You're not kidding, are you?" Ron asked, scared that she was playing a joke on him.

"Why would I lie about my feelings? Honestly, Ron, emotions are not to be joked around with!" He felt much better and grinned from ear to ear. "Don't you dare you doubt my feelings for you, or I'll remind you how 'I'm brilliant but scary', as you said yourself. You're the only one I can see my future with and -" Ron leaned forwards and cut her off with a kiss. His arms went around her waist and she replied enthusiastically too.

~
Truth be told, Ron had imagined his future before that point in time.

Harry's new snowy owl, Hermes, flew through the open window, before perching on the spare stand. Hermione fed Hermes a treat and took the letter before announcing, "It's from Ginny. She wants to know if anything special happened yesterday. Should I reply or make her wait?"

With a mouthful of pancakes, he replied, "Make 'er wait, because we're running late. So you're taking the car to your parents then driving them here before flooing over to The Burrow for dinner?"

"Yes, we'll be there early afternoon. See you later, love." Hermione said as she kissed Ron.

"Do you have to go?" he whined, before pulling her in for another kiss. She pulled away and nodded before walking out the front door. He quickly finished eating, got changed into his work clothes, and flooed into the Ministry of Magic's bustling Apparation point.

Molly was at home, busying herself with preparing the Sunday roast. She had to cater for fourteen but she always made extra in case her sons brought along their friends. She was currently cutting carrots when Arthur's muggle contraption rang from the living room. She curiously went to pick it up and heard someone speaking quietly. She remembered seeing Arthur use it and put it to her ear.

"Hello. Who's there?" she asked feeling foolish.

"Hello, Molly; it's Hayley Granger."

"Oh, you're Hermione's mum!" Molly said as the realization dawned on her. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. I was just wondering whether Hermione was with you, as she doesn't appear to be at work or at home. She was supposed to be coming over about an hour ago and hasn't arrived yet. I'm just worried as she isn't usually late."

"She's not here at the moment. I can try contacting Ronnie for you; he should know where she is. Could you call me again in half an hour; it's just that I don't know how to use these devices."

"Of course I can. Thank you very much." Molly placed the phone back onto the receiver and went over to the fireplace.

She grabbed some Floo powder and threw it in before yelling, "Trainee Auror Office."

Her head appeared in the fireplace very clearly to the trainees in the office.

"Hey, Ron. It's your mum; did you forget your lunch again?" A trainee sniggered. He had a big build and curly blond hair, and disliked Harry and Ron because they skipped half of the Auror training.

Ron ignored his colleague's jibe and knelt in front of the fireplace.

"Hi Mum. Is everything okay?" he asked.

"You don't know where Hermione is, do you?" Molly asked, looking very worried.

"She's at her parents, why?" Ron replied, feeling confused.

"She's not there. Her mother called me using one of your father's muggle contraptions to tell me that she never arrived this morning. She hasn't told them where she went either; do you know where she is?"

"She said she was going to drive over to her parents' house." Ron scratched his head. "Where else would she go? Have you checked Grimmauld Place; she might be with Ginny. I'll see if I can leave work early and try and find out where she's gone to," Ron said, without showing the panic he was feeling.

Molly released the breath she didn't realize she was holding and told Ron it would be okay, before returning home. Ron immediately went to tell Harry about the situation and asked if Harry could finish off his work. Harry agreed, only wanting to help find Hermione.

Ron ran to the lifts and went to level 4where Hermione worked. He found Janet, who worked closely with Hermione.

"Hi, Janet. You haven't seen Hermione, have you?" Ron asked, his voice a little higher than usual.

"No, I haven't, but she wasn't meant to come in today. Didn't you know that?"

Ron explained the situation as quickly as he could and told Janet to send an owl if Hermione turned up. Ron made his way to the Atrium and apparated home.

He found the flat exactly how he left it this morning. There was no evidence of anyone returning after he had left. Ron made a mug of tea and sat on a kitchen stool so he could think of places she might go. Grimmauld Place, Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade or muggle places. He sighed at the long list of places she could be and rested his head in his hands. He was growing restless and washed his mug the muggle way, something he always did after his attempt at magically washing up smashed all the dishes. His noticed his ring by the sink was glowing like there was no tomorrow. He had taken it off when he was washing his dishes earlier that day. He felt incredibly stupid; he picked it up and then slipped it on. He scrabbled around for some parchment, scrawled two notes, one to his mother and Harry and the Grangers, tied them to Pig's leg, and sent him off. He apparated, knowing his ring would return him to Hermione.

He arrived in an alleyway that he had never visited before. He cautiously walked out. He found a car park, and those cars with blaring alarms, like please cars. He turned 180 degrees and was greeted by the sight of a hospital. Ron ran through the sliding doors and to the reception desk where he learned it was their nearest hospital.

"Hi, I'm looking for Hermione Granger. I think she was brought in. Where is she?"

The receptionist at the desk put her glasses on and typed away on a computer. Ron had no idea what she was doing and hoped she would hurry up.

"She was brought in around 2 hours ago. What is your relation to her?"

"I'm her boyfriend. Where is she?" Ron replied quickly, slightly raising his voice.

"Floor three," she said, before adding, "Have a nice day." But Ron was already making his way to the lifts. They were all full and Ron's patience had already come to an end. Climbing the stairs three at a time was no challenge for Ron and he quickly reached her ward.

The lighting was dim but the natural sunlight filled the silent room. The desk was unattended, but had a little silver bell. Ron tapped it twice and waited. Five minutes passed and no one came. Ron repeatedly slammed his hand onto the bell until someone opened a door and peered out. She was a short nurse with sandy brown hair.

"Hello, who are you here to see?"

"Hermione Granger. I'm her boyfriend. Can I see her now?"

"Sure, this way. You're her second visitor today," as she began leading Ron through the ward.

"Who else has been here?"

"A young man, probably similar age to you. He had sandy brown hair, was very tall and had dark shades. He told me to give you a note." She handed him the note. Ron took the note and put it into his jacket pocket. "We're here," she announced as she went through the wooden door and Ron followed her in.

"What happened to her?"

"She was involved in a car accident. She's badly injured. She has a serious head trauma, a leg injury and bruises on her right side, and she's currently on sedatives. We've done everything we can; we have to wait for her to wake up."

"What's a sed-," Ron stopped himself and quickly asked, "How long will it take her to wake up? Is she going to be okay?"

"Well, we did it to help her heal, but she should wake up tomorrow. I'm also quite certain she can make a full recovery... I leave you to it then. If you need assistance, press the red button."

"Thank you," Ron said, his voice slightly breaking. He heard the nurse close the door and went to sit in the chair beside the bed. His eyes scanned Hermione and she was sleeping but she had a large cut on the right side of her head. The rest of her body was covered with a pale blanket. Ron tentatively lifted it up. She was wearing a hospital gown but her arms were dotted with scars. Her leg sported a white cast from her knee to her ankle and around her foot.

"Bloody hell, Hermione," he sighed. Ron kissed her forehead, took her hand in his and squeezed it. "Don't worry, we can get through this." He watched her sleep, something he thought was calming because she looked so peaceful.

It was dark outside when Ron's stomach rumbled again. He had been ignoring it, not wanting to leave Hermione's side. He reluctantly got up and apparated home. He grabbed a holdall and grabbed some clean clothes for the two of them, their toothbrushes, books for him to pass the time, The Daily Prophet, and Hogwarts, A History for when Hermione woke up.

In the kitchen, he waved his wand and pizza started cooking, and he then went to find food in the cupboards. Ron found crisps, biscuits, Bertie Botts Every Flavoured Beans and bottles of water, which he chucked into the brown bag. The pancakes floated over and he started eating them. Just then, Pig flew through the window and started flying around the room. Ron caught him, with slight difficulty and retrieved the note.

Ron,

Had you found Hermione yet? We've checked everywhere.
Let us know.

Harry

Ron scrawled on the back.

Harry,

I've found her. She's in the local hospital. Third floor. I'm going back there now. Don't worry about coming today; she's only going to wake up tomorrow. Tell her parents that I'll owl them as soon as she's awake.

Ron

Ron gave Pig the note and a treat before telling him to find him at the hospital. Ron finished his dinner and took a shower. He remembered to feed Crookshanks on his way out and apparated back to the hospital.

He arrived back into the room, luckily no one had come and realized he had gone anywhere. Ron pulled the bedside chair right next to the bed and started writing a note he could quickly send with Pig to the Grangers as soon as Hermione was awake. He took The Daily Prophet and read the reports on recent captures, still ongoing from the war, articles on new laws being passed, and the Quidditch section reported another Cannons loss. Every thirty seconds or so, Ron's eyes would dart to Hermione's sleeping form, checking if she was awake. Before long, his eyelids were falling lower and lower, though his grip on her hand did not loosen.

The next morning, the sun blared through the hospital blinds. Ron grunted in reaction to the light, his hand was still entangled with Hermione's and he gave a little smile. He had fallen asleep leaning forward and had some pain in his back now. His Auror skills told him someone had come into the room to replace the flowers and give Hermione her medication but the room was almost untouched.

"Good morning, Hermione," he whispered as he kissed her forehead. "I can't wait to hear your voice again. This silence is driving me mad. It reminds me of when you were petrified," Ron paused and started stroking her hair. "Back then, I could hear you replying in my head, with your irritating know-it-all comments that I have now grown to love. I'm going to the toilet. I'll be right back." He got up and left the room.

When he returned, Harry, Ginny and his mum were in the room, all looking at Hermione sadly. She lay motionless on the bed. He slowly entered.

"Oh Ronnie," she cried as she pulled Ron into a bone-crushing hug. Ron patted her back and told her Hermione would get through this.

Ron received a warm hug from Ginny and a handshake from Harry before being pulled into a brotherly hug. At that moment, Hermione began to stir.

"Press the button on the wall," Ron gasped. Ginny had fast reflexes, and she immediately slammed the button. Ron sent Pig off with the pre-written note and about a minute later, a nurse burst in.

"She's moving. Is she going to be okay?"

The nurse didn't answer and proceeded to examine Hermione. After much persuasion, Harry, Ginny and Molly went home but they promised to come back later, once Hermione was awake.

As time wore on, panic started to grow in Ron's eyes, but he reminded himself to stay calm for Hermione. After about ten minutes, Hermione managed to sit up and her eyes were wide open. They darted around the room and on the two of them before falling back on the nurse.

"What happened? Where am I?" she asked weakly.

"You were involved in a car accident. You are now in the hospital. How do you feel?"

"I have a headache and a very numb leg. Who is he?" she inquired as she nodded her head faintly.

"I think he should answer that. I think you can go home tomorrow, but you'll need to come back for check-ups," she told them both as she hung the clipboard at the foot of the bed, before quickly leaving the room.

Ron calmly stepped forwards and reached out for her hand. "Hermione, it's me, Ron."

She shuffled back, unaware of whom this man was. She ignored his hand and said, "I don't know you. Please could you step away from me?"

"I can't. Hermione, I'm your fiancé!" His voice slightly rising. He quickly caught himself, smiled and said, "We got engaged last night, don't you remember? The identical rings, the beach, the restaurant?"

She looked at the ring, thought about it and tried to remember but failed. She slowly shook her head and saw disappointment wash over him.

"I'm sorry," she breathed.