Disclaimer: Again, I owe none of these amazing characters or world! It is all Jo Rowling's!

By the Sea | aparesarah

Chapter the Second~

THUD.

He landed face first down in the muck and immediately lifted his head to find her. She was a few feet away sobbing into the sand, half-screaming.

"Hermione!" he yelled. He didn't recognize his voice at this point. It was so distant, so hollow. Broken.

She didn't stop. She lay in the sand kicking and thumping her fists against the hardened ground, screaming uncontrollably.

Ron, weak from the events at the Malfoy Manor, crawled over to her, and put his arm on the small of her back, "Hermione," he whispered.

She screamed and tore from under his grasp. Before he could blink, she was attempting to run toward the hill near the cottage where Bill and Fleur stood on the front rock porch. They were both unsmiling and alarmed. Bill mouthed, "We'll get her," but Ron shook his head. He needed to be the one to help her.

He immediately went after her, calling her name once more.

This time she whipped around, confused, and he saw her face break into a cry. "RON! I'M SO SORRY," she sobbed, as she buried her face in her hands, and he was there in an instant, holding her once more.

She held onto him tight and he let her. He motioned for Bill and Fleur to go back into the house, and they nodded.

"Hermione," he whispered, running his hands through her bushy hair. "I didn't meant to startle you. I'm sorry." He hugged her to him.

She swallowed and said, "I thought you w-were B-Bellatrix coming from be-behind."

"No," said Ron softly. He tried hard to control his anger at her name. He needed to take care of Hermione. "She's gone, we got away," he breathed.

He pulled back from her. "Look at me," he whispered hoarsely. "What did that bitch do to you?"

Hermione lifted her sleeves and Ron gasped in horror. In addition to scratches winding up and down her arms, there was dried blood in her hair, cuts over her eyebrows, and fresh blood spilling from her bottom lip. On top of that, Hermione was swaying back and forth, as if ready to pass out there on the grassy hill.

Ron grew tears in his eyes. "I'm so, sorry, Hermione. I wanted to be there, I tried-"

She smiled weakly. "Ron, it's okay. Really."

He held her to him once more and kissed her on the forehead. "I need to take you inside. You need to rest, after what you've been through."

She nodded into his chest.

"Can you walk for me?" he asked softly. She pulled away and attempted to walk again, but fell face first into the side of the hill.

She let out a cry.

"I'm going to have to carry you," Ron said reaching out his hand to help her up. She held on with all her might and as soon as she was standing, Ron scooped her up into his arms.

"Hold onto me, Hermione," he whispered softly, and she put both arms around his neck, burying her dirty face into his chest.

She was light, he noted, so it made everything easy. Ron carried her up the hill and into Shell Cottage where Bill and Fleur anxiously awaited. Bill was holding two cups of hot tea, and Fleur holding a bathrobe and sweatpants.

"Oh, my zweetheartz!" Fleur cried. "Take 'er into ze guest bedroom at ze end of ze 'all on ze right, Ronald! I'll be in very zoon!"

Ron held Hermione tightly as he walked with her down the hall and into the breeziest room of the house. Luna and Mr. Ollivander were in the room next door. He noticed a giant window was open above the wooden headboard of the bed as he walked in; a chest was in one corner of the room with an owl mobile above, and a small closet was on another side of the room with a mirror placed against the sliding doors.

Ron laid Hermione down gently onto the bed. He sat in the armchair to her right, watching as she drifted to sleep. She could barely manage to say his name before she was entirely out.

Ron was still in the chair after Hermione came out from her shower. She was wearing one of his old bright orange Chuddley Cannons shirts with a pair of Fleur's sweatpants, and her bushy hair was wet and wild.

"Oh!" she said surprisingly coming into the room.

Ron grinned. "Sorry, Hermione. This chair's really, erm, nice."

"Ron," she said quietly. "You don't have to stay in here anymore. I'm going to be fine, I promise." She shook out her hair and splattered water onto his face. "Sorry."

He breathed her in and noted that she smelled like lilacs. He watched as she looked herself up and down in the mirror, then crawled into bed. She was still shaking.

His electric blue eyes met her chocolate ones, and she reached for his hand. "On second thought, don't leave," she whispered.

Ron kissed her hand. "I'm not going anywhere. Ever."

In the night, after Dobby had been laid to rest and when he was sure she was safe and asleep, Ron reached over her dozing figure, and placed his lips to hers. He sat back in the armchair smiling. Bloody hell, I just kissed my best friend, he thought. Now if only he could tell her he loved her…

A/N: Hey guys! These are the shortest chapters I've ever written, mostly because they're meant to be that way. I've been working on a huge HP fanfic in my free time, so this is kind of a small project until that one is done. I haven't edited much or put in as much detail as I'd like. I'm also concerned I'm sounding a little OOC on Ron's part. But I guess I pictured him a little softer at Shell Cottage. Thoughts? I hope you don't mind it all so far! I appreciate your reviews! xoxo~aparesarah