(A/N: Oh my goodness! Thank you all so much for the incredible feedback- 10 reviews, among other things, in a mere 2 hours? You all are incredible. :3 I hope to live up to expectations!)

Ron smiled at Hermione's response and scooped her up in his arms, carrying her inside despite her squeals. He nearly dropped her and both of their cheeks burned red as the entire living room, which had an aura of cheeriness over it, despite the devastation that was the lack of Fred, stopped their conversations and tasks and stared at the couple, both of them dripping wet. Ginny raised an eyebrow at her brother, but he nodded at Harry, who's lap she was perched on, as if to say, if you get to do that with him, I'll take her.

Ron set Hermione gently on the floor and Hermione sighed, sad that he'd stopped holding her. It was as if, now that they knew they were not in fact going to die immediately, she wanted to spend every moment of her life in his arms, living where she should have been all along. She didn't want to be apart from him anymore, now that she knew that this wasn't a dream. As if he could read her mind, he smiled at her and linked his pinky in hers as he addressed the room, a look of chagrined pride on his face.

"Erm… yeah… so… we're just gonna go… wash up and … yeah…" He grabbed Hermione's hand then and practically dragged her up the stairs, ignoring the looks of shock and awe from everyone else, who didn't know about Hermione and Ron yet. Hermione giggled, feeling more and more like a foolish first year the longer she was with Ron. He pressed her against a wall, kissing her again.

"Why Miss Granger, I didn't know you could laugh." Hermione gasped in fake anger and shoved him off, stomping off and pretending to be mad. She opened the door to the room she shared with Ginny and slammed it in Ron's face. He, however, caught the door and ran in, grabbing her by the waist. Hermione squealed but kissed him again, letting herself get totally lost in him for the second time that night. She shivered- the house was extremely cold and she was soaked to the bone. Ron grabbed her and although she felt him shivering as well, it made her feel warmer, being in his arms. She reached up and kissed him again, and again, and then he picked her up.

She wrapped her legs around him and kissed him harder than she'd ever kissed in her life. She tried her very hardest to tell him everything she was unable to say, for it seemed kissing Ron was the only time she lost herself completely and didn't plan or analyze. She still found herself utterly tongue-tied when trying to express her feelings.

Somehow, without realizing it, they ended up on Hermione's bed, still completely wrapped up in each other. Hermione fumbled with the buttons on Ron's shirt but he stopped kissing her and grabbed her wrists, groaning a little. She looked at him inquisitively. Wasn't he, as the guy, supposed to want this?

"Trust me, Mione. I do. Want to. So much. God. Uh. Yeah. Just. Not. Now." He sputtered a little and got up, setting her gently on the bed. He kissed her forehead gently.

"I'm going to take a shower. I'll be back. I lo- I'll be back." She nodded, biting her lip a little as he left.

Hermione went into the bathroom and peeled off her wet clothes, that stuck to her like a second skin. In the back of her mind, she knew it was because of all the tragedy. She knew, too, it wasn't the right time. She wanted her first time to be special. And Ron… Ron was special. But in this room, with the entire family below, mere hours after the most devastating event any of them would probably ever witness? He was right. Not now. Still, Hermione stared at herself, standing in only her bra and panties, in the mirror, and wondered if something was wrong with her. After all, shouldn't it have been her saying no? She knew she wasn't a pretty girl. She never claimed to be pretty. She was smart, and it was as if you could be smart or pretty. You rarely saw smart and pretty girls.

She over analyzed things, she was presumptuous, she was average, she was mousy. Hermione stared in the mirror and picked apart every single one of her flaws until she was crying. God. What did Ron see when he looked at her? She didn't understand it. Especially now, with blood and dirt and water all over her. She was the most unattractive thing that had ever existed and yet she and Ron had just shared a moment of complete and utter passion.

Hermione didn't understand it but was sure that she would not find the answer to this particular problem in any books. Pity, that's where she always found her favorite answers.

Twenty minutes and a layer of dirt gone later, Hermione came out of the bathroom in a tank top and shorts, looking surprised to see Ron sitting on her bed, in pajama pants and a white t-shirt. He looked at her and looked almost nervous. Hermione smiled at him, showing that she wasn't in the least mad at him, and that she understood. She went and sat by him, resting her head on his shoulder. The excitement from earlier was gone and now that she was sure that Ron wasn't going to do anything dangerous or rash, she could let herself grieve. Except for the small fact that she hated emotion. She hated expressing it, she hated dealing with other peoples'.

So, as the first few tears dripped off her nose, she tried in vain to wipe them away and hide them from Ron. He put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head, and Hermione was astounded by how sensitive and sweet he was being. She wasn't used to it. She held her breath, trying not to let him hear the silent sobs escaping from her throat, but he could feel her shuddering, trying to keep it all in. He kissed her head again and when he spoke, his voice was strangely calm and quiet.

"It's over 'Mione. You're allowed to cry. You're allowed… You're allowed to not be strong for a little bit." She looked up at him tearfully.

"I'm not too good at… at… not.. being strong, Ron." Even as she said it, her voice quivered. For the second time that day, although it was nearly midnight by then, Ron pulled Hermione into his lap. He stroked her hair and tilted her head so he could once again look her in the eyes.

"It doesn't matter. Okay? It doesn't. It's over. It's all over and we still have each other and Harry and Ginny, Mum and Dad and George, Bill and Fleur…" Hermione broke down then. It was all of it, the pressure of the past day, the past year, the past seven years, crashing over her like a tidal wave. And she cried. She cried for nearly an hour, letting Ron comfort her. Letting herself let go. She couldn't stop herself anymore. And he held her, and she cried. It felt marvelous, having someone care about her this way.