~ Flames

Harry had suggested they split up to look for the diadem, but Hermione couldn't agree less with his idea. She was extremely worried that if she left either of Ron's or Harry's side, she may never see them again. Nevertheless, she squeezed Ron's hand before rushing down the aisle opposite his.

She manically searched for the diadem on every shelf that presented itself in her view, desperately using this task to distract herself from the horrible possibilities that she worried would happen to Harry and Ron…

She had lost herself in the labyrinth of junk. She could no longer hear the footsteps of Harry and Ron, and this scared her. She stopped, listening carefully and hoping for a noise, maybe even a voice…

And she heard him. She heard Harry's voice, so distant she could hardly make out the direction from which it came. He was talking to someone, for she heard another voice she knew not to be Ron's. Then she heard more voices, realizing quickly that someone had found Harry. The sudden drop of her stomach told her they were not friends of theirs.

She was suddenly running back the way she had came. As she came closer to where Harry was, she heard Ron's voice. "Harry? Are you talking to someone?"

Hermione was about to call out when a sudden, "Descendo!" caused her to jump. She watched as the wall of junk to her left began to totter, and suddenly crumbled into the aisle Ron had disappeared into. Her heart jumped into her throat, and she made to run out of the aisle. Just as she arrived at the end of the labyrinth, the wall to her right collapsed, causing her to scream as she jumped aside.

She heard arguing from somewhere to her right. Then, a voice that put her worrying to rest called out, "Harry? What's going on?"

It was Ron. He was safe, and she needn't worry. As she turned another corner, she saw four men standing in the middle of the aisle. She quickly backtracked and hid amongst a pile of junk, but not before recognizing the sleek head of Draco Malfoy with his cronies Crabbe and Goyle arguing with Harry.

She analyzed the situation quickly in her head, and decided to shoot a Stunning Spell at Crabbe, who seemed the most willing to try to kill Harry. Malfoy pulled Crabbe away just in time, and it missed Harry by inches.

Crabbe reacted by shooting a Killing Curse at her, which she avoided by diving aside. She heard Malfoy screaming at Crabbe not to kill Harry, for he was for the Dark Lord. Her blood boiled and she directed her wand at Malfoy. "Stupefy!"

He jumped aside, and Hermione suddenly saw a tall, redheaded figure appear at the end of the aisle. She smiled as Ron sent a Body-Bind Curse at Crabbe, missing him by inches. Crabbe reacted by sending a Killing Curse back at him, which he avoided quickly with his Quidditch-trained reflexes.

She turned her back for a second to converse with Harry about the tiara before she looked over his shoulder and saw a horror scene.

"HARRY!" she screamed, watching as the flames Crabbe had she quickly conjured chased both Ron and Crabbe down the aisle toward the rest of them. They turned to run, and Hermione could hear Crabbe bragging about the flames, but she knew he had no control over the flames that now chased them all.

She knew what the fire was; it was Fiendfyre, cursed fire that was close to impossible to control. She cursed Crabbe in her head and turned to look back at Ron, who was directly behind them. She grabbed his hand and pulled him along, away from the fiery monsters that were nipping at him.

They turned a corner, and she suddenly realized Malfoy (who had been dragging along an unconscious Goyle) and Crabbe had disappeared from their view. They were only met by the fiery demons surrounding them, trapping them from any means of exit.

She was panicking, screaming over the roaring fire. "What can we do? What can we do?"

"Here!"

Harry had grabbed a pair of broomsticks from a nearby pile of junk that had miraculously yet to burn. He tossed one to Ron, who clambered on, grabbing Hermione and pulling her onto it behind him. They kicked off into the air, and Hermione gripped Ron's waist as they followed Harry through the deadly flames.

The smoke was filled with black smoke, making breathing unbearable. Hermione pressed her face against the back of Ron's jacket, trying desperately to inhale the scent of him instead of the burning Room of Requirement.

Ron was yelling at Harry about something, but Hermione's senses had all gone numb between her panic and the flames. She could only hear the muffled yells of her best friends. When a sudden lurch of the broomstick turning told her they were going in another direction, she raised her face from the sanctuary of Ron's jacket.

Instantly, her eyes, nose, and mouth were all burning as she struggled to breathe. Ron was diving to the ground, where two figures (one standing and waving, one unconscious) were trapped amongst the flames.

As they got closer, she realized they were Malfoy and Goyle, who was still unconscious. Ron turned around and barked at her, "Grab him!" A few feet behind, Harry was grabbing Malfoy's hand and dragging him up on his broom.

As Hermione grabbed the unconscious figure of Goyle and heaved him up onto their now-buckling broomstick, Ron yelled quite clearly at Harry, "IF WE DIE FOR THEM, I'LL KILL YOU, HARRY!"

Hermione couldn't agree more, though she said nothing. She was struggling to hold onto Ron and Goyle at the same time. The black smoke was becoming so unbearable that she was coughing uncontrollably.

The flames were now licking at her clothes and hair, causing her to bat them away to quickly extinguish them. Harry was nowhere to be found and she prayed he was ahead of them, that he was already out of the Room…

The door was suddenly in their view, and Hermione's heart jumped. Monsters and demons of fire surrounded the door, but they had to make it out, they would –

The three of them suddenly crashed into the stone of wall of a Hogwarts corridor. Hermione gasped as she breathed in fresh air, she had never appreciated it like this before. She turned her attention to Ron, who was lying on the ground, breathing hard. When he saw her, however, he jumped to his feet and clambered toward her. "Hermione! Hermione, are you alright? Are you hurt?"

His eyes raked over her body, searching for any serious injuries, and though she tried to reassure him that she was fine, he only looked more worried.

Another crash sounded behind them as a second broomstick crashed into the same wall. Harry and Malfoy collapsed to the ground, both breathing heavily. Malfoy was whimpering about Crabbe, and Ron harshly told him that he was dead. He turned back to Hermione and pulled her toward him, embracing her harder than ever before. She absorbed every part of him, breathing him in, even if he now smelled of the burnt junk of the Room of Requirement.

"I didn't want to split up," said Ron over her shoulder, "I wanted to stay with you, but Harry insisted, and we needed to find the diadem –"

"I know," said Hermione, tears forming and dripping down her blackened, soot-covered face. "I didn't want to leave you either."

They broke apart just as Harry was questioning where Ginny was. Hermione caught sight of the bruised and gaunt faces of her two best friends, their hair now singed like hers, and she wished now, more than ever, that peace would present itself to them at last.

~ Fire

Hermione sat on the couch in her living room, looking quite content as she stared at the roaring orange flames in the fireplace, mesmerized by the light. Behind her, Ron stood at the stove making tea for the both of them, staring at her with a slight grin on his face. Around them, boxes were stacked up to six feet tall; Ron and Hermione had just moved into their first flat together.

Ron walked into the room and handed her a cup of tea, giving her a quick kiss on the lips. He sat down next to her and wrapped the quilt that his mother had knitted for the two of them for a housewarming gift around their bodies. It was checkered with Gryffindor colors; the red and gold always had made Ron feel like he truly belonged. He looked over at Hermione and watched as she stared at the fire, her eyes reflecting the flames. She looked at him, those mesmerizing brown eyes causing his insides to melt. He smiled at her and leaned forward to gently kiss her forehead. He never loved her as much as he did at the moments when she would smile at him and make him feel like he was the happiest man on earth.

Tom Riddle had been defeated one year ago, but there were still Death Eaters getting captured every day by the Order, all who were plotting to "finish their Master's work" by killing Harry Potter. None prevailed, but Harry and all who were close to him still lived in fear.

Harry had gotten a flat in Diagon Alley, right next to Ron and Hermione's, and both were under every protection charm imaginable, as well as the Fidelius Charm. After suffering through a war as the three of them had done, it was hard to escape the habit of security and protection.

But it was on nights like these that Ron felt completely and utterly safe. Nothing but Hermione and her sweet smile along with the flickering flames in front of them were present. He reached forward and took hold of her hands in both of his, gazing softly into her eyes. He gently brought one of her hands up to his face and kissed her knuckles. He stared at her beauty for a second longer before speaking. "You're my world; you know that, don't you?"

Hermione smiled at him with a slight smirk. "I do. And you're mine." She withdrew her hand from his to gently run her hand through his vivid hair.

The fire roared in front of them as Ron lay down across the couch, bringing Hermione down on top of him. He stared at her for a moment longer before leading her lips to his. The kiss became more heated and passionate, and Ron couldn't think of anything in the world that was more perfect…

An hour later, Ron and Hermione lay asleep on the couch in front of the still roaring fire, their arms around each other in a bond that promised to last forever.

~ Embers

The graveyard was bitterly cold as the two figures strolled in between the snow-covered carved stones of recorded memories. The glowing embers of the fire they had started to keep warm in the middle of the graveyard were behind them as they walked around, looking for a few particular graves.

The Death Eaters were fewer these days, especially since Lucius Malfoy was killed over two months ago in a battle against the Order. Tom Riddle, the man who had fueled the fire which was the Second War was dead, and only embers were left to pick up now, after the many months it had taken for that fire to finally burn out.

Ron squeezed Hermione tighter to his side as they approached the grave of his dead brother. They stared at it for a moment before Hermione withdrew her wand, from which she conjured a bouquet of black roses. She laid them in front of his grave, making sure they look perfect before accepting Ron's arm around her once more. He kissed the top of her head and glanced one last time at Fred's grave before leading them both away.

He kicked the some snow over the embers, feeling a bit better about the lives that had been lost over two years ago. His family and the rest of the wizarding world had done their mourning. Now it was time to move on.

Hermione suddenly escaped from his arm and faced him, wrapping her own arms around his waist and embracing him. He gripped her back, burying his face in her hair. They stood like this for what felt like forever, breathing each other in. When they broke apart, Ron looked into her eyes, gently taking her face into his hands.

"We're going to have a better life," he said simply. "I swear to you, we're going to find a better life."

Hermione only smiled up at him and gently kissed him. Around them snowflakes began to fall, and as Ron put his arm around Hermione once more as they left the graveyard, they both realized the embers were just about buried, and soon there would be none to pick up at all.