Hermione lay on the ground sobbing for a long while, mourning for a love lost, and for a future of dreams that would never be

Hermione lay on the ground sobbing for a long while, mourning for a love lost, and for a future of dreams that would never be fulfilled. Soon it was dark and she had fallen asleep, only to be woken in the darkness by a frantic Harry.

"Hermione, wake up!" he said as she shook her "We've gotta go. Ron is in the hospital."

"What?" she said groggily "Harry what are you talking about?"

"Ron got hurt, He's in the hospital." This time it clicked to Hermione, and she quickly got up and they ran over to the floo. In no time they were at the hospital and running to Ron's room in intensive care. On the elevator, Hermione finally had a chance to ask what was going on.

"The raid didn't go how we had planned it. Ron was frustrated about something, and he kept mumbling your name, I was about to put a silencing charm on him, but then our position was compromised, and it turned into a full fledged battle. Ron got hit with a curse that we've never heard of before… we think they were experimenting with dark spells, but luckily we captured them all. Ron was the only one that got hit" Harry explained.

Hermiones hand had fluttered to her heart as Harry recounted the story, and clearly all the blood had drained from her face as she was pale as a sheet. "What does the spell do Harry?"

"The healers aren't sure yet, they've never seen anything like this before. But they don't think he's got very long to live" Harry said, his voice trembling, and eyes bright with tears.

Hermione choked out a sob and Harry took her hand, the elevator door opened and he led her out, this time slowly walking down the hall to Ron's room.

So many emotions were running through Hermione's head, and the thought that was killing her was the relief at the thought that she may have found a way out of that horrible future she envisioned earlier in the day… but this price was too high to pay. This is not what she wanted at all. She felt guilt and that somehow this must be her fault for wanting a way out… well she had gotten a way out. But now she didn't want it, she would do anything, take any future, just for Ron to live.

They spotted Ron's room, by the clan of Weasley's that was standing outside the door. Ginny and Harry were tightly embraced. Bill stood with his face in his hands and Fleurs arm around his waist. George was holding Victoire, who was nuzzled into Georges trembling chest. Percy was being hugged by his wife, and Arthur was holding Teddy with a stoney look on his face.

Hermione hadn't gottent a chance to see Charlie yet, because when was close enough Molly pulled her into a hug. "Hermione dear, you're the only one he'll see right now… he doesn't have long" she said through thick tears. The rest of the Weasley's looked at her through tear rimmed eyes and urged her in. She finally found Charlie's eyes and she was surprised by the guilt she saw there… and wondered if her eyes looked the same way. She wiped her face and took a deep breath before opening the door.

Ron was so pale he looked like he might already be dead, except for the fact that he was writhing in pain. Finally he settled for a minute and then he saw Hermione, he tried to smile but it looked more like a grimace.

"Oh Ron" she said as she came to his side to touch his face "what has happened to you?"

Ron nuzzled his face into the side of her hand and she stroked his cheek. "Hermione' he croaked out "I don't have long, but I wanted to say that I'm sorry for earlier. I was being a jerk. I really do love you, everything about you, and I shouldn't have been trying to change you into something I thought was expected of a Weasley wife. I was being so selfish. I guess I just always expected my wife to be just like my mother. But you're not my mother, and that's okay" He paused here to cough, and Hermione noticed with horror, fresh blood on his lip. She took his hand and squeezed it, and continued to stroke his cheek. "I'm sorry that I'll never get to make this up to you, but now you can do everything you want without anyone to hamper you, except this time I'll be there with you, supporting you, in your heart, instead of trying to cage you in and change you into something you're not. I love you Hermione"

Hermione held back a sob and kissed his cheek, and his face all over, shedding her tears on his pale face. "I love you too Ron" she said, and this time it wasn't hard to say. The reality of him leaving her was just too much, she didn't care about anything he had done before. "And I forgive you, I just wish I could have had a chance to show you how good of a wife I could have been to you. It's not fair that you're being taken away from me" she said with a sob. "Please don't leave me Ronny…"

"I'm sorry Hermione" he whispered faintly as he ever so softly squeezed her hand. He was having a hard time moving. "I'll always be with you in your heart. It's better this way, I was too selfish to share you. But now I'll be with you in your heart, and you'll be able to live your dreams. Just try to find a way to be happy. I want you to be happy, love..." Ron started another coughing fit, with coughs that wracked his body, and Hermione looked on helplessly, as she literally saw the life leaving his body. "Tell everybody I love them, and I love you…" and with that he twitched violently and then fell still. Hermione let out such a sob of grief that the rest of the Weasley's rushed in, no words needed to be spoken.

The next couple days were the roughest days of Hermione's life, as she struggled with feelings of guilt, grief, regret, and even a little relief. She knew that Ron meant his apology, however she wasn't sure that if he had lived, that things would have changed, so she was a little relieved that she had found a way out of that dreary future. She just wished there could have been another way to get there…. She did not want Ron to die, and it made her feel guilty that she had not been on good terms with him and that she was looking for a way out. Did her wish come true? Was this her fault? She mourned for the Ron that was her best friend, and she truly missed him in her life.

The only person she found any solace in had been Charlie, who was also dealing with similar feelings, however, he would never let Hermione know that. He knew he was in love with Hermione and he had been so mad that she was being caged up, and he had wished things would be different… and now they were. He too felt guilt, he too felt relief. There were so many confusing, conflicting emotions. But above all the rest of the stuff, was the fact that Charlie lost a brother, Hermione a friend (because she preferred to remember him from before he changed), a great man to all. It felt wrong to be relieved, which brought on the guilt, and the guilt was hard to bear.

The day of the funeral Hermione decided to show Charlie her memories, in an effort to try and get rid of the guilt. Charlie wished he could tell her he felt the same way…. But now was just not the time. She didn't need to deal with that right now, or probably ever he thought. She had enough to deal with. But he didn't know that she was more grateful for him than anything else in the world, and he was the only one keeping her sane.

After Hermione had shown Charlie her memories, they sat holding each other for a very long time, drawing comfort from the other. Charlie thought hard about everything that Ron had told her in the hospital.

Finally after a long silence Charlie decided to tell Hermione a little of how he felt. He shifted them so that Hermione was sitting in front of him on his old bed at the burrow.

"I don't think you should feel guilty Hermione. It's very clear that you never wished for him to die, you were in a desperate situation, but you never wanted that as a way out. You were so selfless that you were going to stay on that path no matter what, so that you wouldn't hurt him… there's nothing to be ashamed of or guilty there. You weren't ready to marry him, and there's nothing wrong with that either, so all of the relief you're feeling is very natural, so you shouldn't be feeling guilty about it. Isn't the grief enough to deal with?"

Hermione bit her lip and sighed, looking into Charlies eyes. "It is enough to deal with, the grief alone is too much to deal with. So you should stop feeling guilty too" she said quietly. Charlie was taken back for a moment, how could she know what he was thinking?

"What are you talking about herm.."

"I can see it in your eyes Charlie" she interrupted. "I don't know why it's there though. But if I have to stop feeling guilty then so do you. What do you have to feel guilty for?"

Charlie did his anxious habit and thought for a moment. She was so perceptive, and that was going to get dangerous. How much could he tell her and still be safe. After a moment he found the right words.

"I guess I felt a little relief for you too. It tore me apart to see you so sad and caged, so I shared in your relief. I really care about you Hermione, I just hated to see you hurting, and now I see that you have all your opportunities back, but then it makes me sad at how you got them back. Obviously you know the feeling." Hermione listened carefully the whole time he spoke, and she felt touched that he cared for her so deeply. She felt tears come to her eyes and one slid down her cheek.

Charlie reached across and gingerly wiped her tear away, and she grabbed his hand at her face, and held it, closing her eyes, breathing deeply. Charlie studied her face and his heart ached that he couldn't do more to make her happy, kiss her tears away. She was still out of reach for him. She was practically her brothers widow and she would be mourning and probably not interested, and even if she was, it still felt wrong and like it was betraying Ron. Still though, he wanted her to find a way to be happy.

"Hermione" he said softly, and Hermione opened her eyes, but still held his hand on her face. "I think Ron was right in one part though, and it won't be easy right now, but you deserve to be happy, and I hope that you can find a way to be that way again. I hope that you do go out there and chase your dreams, you deserve amazing things in your life, and I will do anything in my power to help you get those amazing things, and to help you become happy."

Hermione let go of Charlies hand, and brought her hand to her necklace as she studied his face. She saw the concern and worry in his face, and she knew that she couldn't let him down. She had to be happy for him.

"Okay Charlie" she said finally. "I'm gonna try and be happy, but you have to try too. We're both gonna move on, just like we've had to do before. Everything will be okay." She gave Charlie a small smile, trying to believe her words, and when he smiled back, she suddenly believed her words a whole lot more. Everything was going to be okay. "I have to warn you though, I'm gonna be around a lot then, because you're one of the main things that makes me happy right now" she added as an afterthought. Charlie smiled even wider at this and pulled her back into a hug.

They said their goodbyes to Ron, and Hermione hoped that Ron was watching above and approved of her plan to become happy, even though it quite heavily included his brother. After the goodbyes it was time to heal.

Charlie unfortunately had to go back to work quite soon after the funeral, because the reserve was preparing for the birth of a new dragon, but Hermione talked to him everyday, and once a week they would visit and get lunch or something. Hermione still had her rough days, and often times she would end up in a Weasley's arms crying, and they would cry together. It was hard for her to be around Ginny and Harry who were still preparing for their wedding. She still very much felt relief, because the more she thought about it the more she knew that her and Ron weren't right for marriage, but she also knew that it couldn't have been too horrible if she had to go through with it, after all, they had been best friends almost their whole lives.

Mostly however life was slowly beginning to go back to normal, like it did after any death. Hermione was doing great at work, and she always had a conversation with Charlie to look forward to when she got home. Her time with Charlie was her favorite part of her days. Charlie felt the exact same way about his time with her. But it was killing both of them to not be able to see each other very much. Whenever Hermione found herself feeling sad, there was no one she would rather see than Charlie, and it made her even more sad that she couldn't see him more often. Because of the time changes, their schedules were completely opposite. There was only an hour a day right before she went to bed and right after he got up in the morning that they could talk.

Hermione knew that their were potential feelings for him, but every time they started to become too strong, she pushed them away. She wasn't sure of what he felt for her, she knew he cared about her, but she worried that it was a brotherly love, and besides, she didn't feel like she could move on from Ron yet. It didn't feel right to her, so she neglected and ignored the blossoms of feelings that were popping up for Charlie.

Charlie was struggling everyday with his love for Hermione, part of him just wanted to tell her so bad, but he knew that he couldn't. Not yet, or possibly never. He didn't want to betray Ron, but on the other hand he had wanted Hermione to be happy. Charlie always reasoned to himself that if it ever came up and it turned out that he did make Hermione happy in a relationship sort of way, then it wouldn't be betraying Ron at all, it would just be helping honor Ron's dying wish. But he wasn't sure if he could ever bring it up, because there was also the chance that she did not want him in that way at all, and then she would be unhappy because their friendship would be ruined. He didn't know what to do, but his happiness wasn't most important at the moment, it was Hermione's happiness that mattered the most, and he wouldn't do anything until he was sure of how it would affect Hermione's happiness.

At their weekly get-togethers Charlie always tried to gauge how she was doing, and after a couple of weeks, it seemed like she was really alright, though it seemed like something small had changed, and she was holding something back around him. He puzzled about this a lot during the days, and hoped that maybe, just maybe she might be developing feelings for him.

It was the middle of July, about 2 months since Ron had died, that Hermione got the news that would forever change her life. A catalyst if you will. She went into work like any normal morning, and upon her arrival, her boss Mr. Hornby was standing at her desk waiting for her.

"Good morning Hermione" he greeted, as she smiled and hung up her bag on the hook. "We've got an exciting offer for you, you've been doing a really great job here in this office, but a new position has opened up and we thought you would be perfect for the job" he paused here for a moment waiting for some sort of reaction.

"I'm very intrigued" she said. " go on"

"The opening is in the dragon research and restraint bureau" he continued, and her eyes lit up. "This job would however require relocation. The main reserve we work with is in Romania…" he hesitated. This was usually the part where people turned it down. But Hermione smiled wide, and shook his hand.

"That would be lovely! When do I start?" she needn't be asked twice, and she didn't have to think about it. Romania, meant Charlie, and Charlie… well he meant lots of things to her. She was sure her feelings would be harder to suppress, but she didn't care at the moment. This was going to get her out of her rut… it was an adventure, and she was going to take as many adventures as she could get. She had started to realize that if Ron was taken unfairly away from her, then she was going to take advantage of all the new opportunities that were presented to her. She hadn't felt this happy since graduation.

Hermione was antsy and anxious the whole rest of the day as she was briefed about her new job. She couldn't wait to get back home so she could tell Charlie the great news. She decided she wouldn't tell the rest of the Weasleys until she told Charlie.

When she got home she impatiently waited for the normal time of their floo call, and finally after what seemed like ages his head appeared in the fire place.

"Charlie!" she practically squealed, and he couldn't help but smile. He hadn't seen her this happy or excited in awhile.

"Glad to see you too" he laughed. "What's got you so happy?"

"well it might be the fact that I'll get to see you everyday now…" she trailed off, leading him on. Charlie groaned a little, feeling her excitement, and he got impatient.

"what are you talking about Mione? You've lost me"

"I got offered a job in Romania, in the dragon research and restraint bureau. I'll be working on the reserve with you!" Hermione beamed at him.

"Seriously?" he asked excitedly, and she nodded. "Hermione this is… it's great. How'd we get so lucky? You're gonna love the reserve it's amazing and I can show you all about it. When do you start?" Hermione giggled a little bit about how he had almost started rambling, he only did that when he was really excited.

"Well they want me to start early next week, but move out at the end of this, so I have time to adjust and all…"

"Hermione, come live with me… it would be perfect" he interrupted her. He had been wanting a room mate for awhile because he was starting to feel lonely. He knew that having Hermione in the house might complicate things a bit, and it might be hard to contain his feelings, but on the other hand he might be able to figure out what she was feeling for him more. It seemed like life had dealt them a perfect opportunity.

"Actually, that was kind of what I was hoping for" she said sort of shyly " as long as you're sure it's alright." She was blushing a bit at the end and Charlie couldn't help but smile. He wished he was there right now to gather her in his arms and hold her.

"Are you kidding mione? It's more than alright." They spent the rest of their conversation talking about the moving plans and all sorts of exciting prospects for the future. After her conversation with Charlie she decided it was time to tell the rest of the family. She got varied reactions from the news.

Mrs. Weasley was very sad and didn't want Hermione to go, but felt a bit better about it when Hermione had reminded her that it would make Charlie really happy to have a room mate. Percy didn't think it was a good idea, because he was convinced that Hermione needed more normalcy in her life to move on. Bill, and Arthur were both very supportive of the decision, and Harry and Ginny were both very excited for her, since they had both started to expect something between them. Harry was sad to see his best friend moving on. He sorely missed Ron, but he was happy that Hermione had someone else to make her happy. Ginny's only condition was of course that Hermione still had to come out a week before the wedding at the end of October for preparations, which Hermione readily agreed to.

The week flew by, and after many goodbyes it was finally time for Hermione to make the move to Romania. It was Friday 1 am her time but early afternoon in Romania. She first flooed herself over with all her suitcases of clothes, and she figured she could get Charlie to help her with the rest. She landed in his fireplace and smiled… this was now her fireplace too.

Suddenly his strong arms were around her pulling her out of the fireplace and into a hug. "Hermione, it's so good to see you again" he said as they embraced. Hermione let out a happy sigh and smiled into his chest.

"I've missed your hugs" she told him. "Roomie" she added with another smile. Charlie chuckled and let her go, to instead grab her bags out of the fireplace.

"Let's get started shall we? There's this great little place I wanna take you for dinner, so I was hoping we could be done before too long." Hermione blushed a little, and she didn't know why, but she figured it was most likely those blossoming feelings she was trying to shove away. This is definitely going to be interesting she thought. So she nodded, and the moving began.