Long Overdue

"Stop it! You're Harry Potter! Do you hear me? Harry Potter! Don't give in Harry!"

Ron gripped her tightly. The brief spasm of jealousy over her dreaming about Harry disappeared as he realized she was overtaken by fear again. He listened intently through clenched teeth. As she went on, he realized the nightmare was about the night Harry was attacked by Nagini, a night they had almost died and he wasn't there to help. Guilt attacked him again as he truly began to realize how afraid she had been that night, just two nights before he had returned.

"You are Harry Potter. Please remember, you are Harry Potter. You are a Gryffindor. You play Quidditch. You are seeker, and a great one at that. You have friends Harry Potter. You-Know-Who has followers. You have people who love you. The Dark Lord has only people who fear and obey him. You are not alone. He is. Harry Potter cares about people. He only cares about power. You are Harry Potter. No! No! Listen to me, it's Hermione. I am with you. I chose to stay with you, to help. You are my friend. Fight to stay with me. Don't lose yourself to him, pleeeease."

Her words were of fear for losing Harry to death or into Voldemort's mind. That panic seemed to merge in her high pitched pleading to their friend. She had gone through a terrifying night alone, doing what he was doing now for her, but on such a deeper and possibly fatal level. Ron felt sick and ashamed. Then her voice turned into one of personal despair.

"I've lost him. He left me. Don't you leave me too, Harry. Please, I can't bare to lose anymore right now. My parents, him, school, not you, please not you too. Fight Harry, please fight. Stay with me. Please, stay. Please, live."

He knew she was talking about him, though she had not said his name. He realized that while she was terrified of losing Harry, Ron was still paramount in her mind. She had lost so much, but once they had left the Burrow, she never complained. But he had noticed that whenever she wore the locket, she would look at pictures of her parents she had hidden in some of her books.

Suddenly, she woke and stared at him blankly. Silently tears began to fall. His hand came up to caress her face and he realized, this time, it was Harry she needed—not him. And it was OK. There was no jealousy in the pit of his stomach as he made his decision. This time, she was going to leave the room and seek her reassurance, he thought. He'd make sure of it and in so doing, show her that he truly trusted her love for him.

He took her hand, "Come with me." He led her downstairs to the sitting room where Harry was stretched out on a recliner, trying to sleep. He sat up immediately as she entered the room shakily as Ron guided her. "Harry? She needs to see you're OK." At Harry's questioning look, Ron answered simply "Nagini."

Comprehension crossed Harry's face. Suddenly, he remembered Hermione waking with a start and in a sweat on Christmas Day. He had been absorbed in disappointment over his broken wand and hadn't even bothered to see if she was OK. He realized he wasn't always the best friend he could be. Somedays, he had to admit, he could be a little self-centered, although not without cause.

Ron turned to Dean, Fleur and Bill, "They need to talk a moment." The three immediately stood up and left the room with Ron who looked at Harry and nodded his head. It was a silent acceptance for Harry to be close to her and his understanding that nothing untoward would occur between them. The locket had been destroyed, the air cleared between them. For the first time he could remember, Ron was encouraging the embrace he knew was in the offing between his friends. He left them alone to talk and returned to the bedroom upstairs to wait.

Harry closed the gap between himself and Hermione, taking her hand. "Hey. What is it? How can I help you."

The memory of the dream was still very fresh. Hermione whispered, "I…dreamed of Christmas Eve, Nagini, you…You almost died. I was so scared. I thought you were disappearing into him. Fever, thought you were going to …Oh, I'm sorry…it's all so fresh, so real with this potion…so strong. Need to tell you, how important you are to me…" She broke down crying and Harry pulled her close and held on to her.

"You're alright. You're safe. I'm safe. I'm alive because of you." A few moments passed and a conversation that should have taken place on Christmas morning finally happened. "I didn't want to say anything when I woke up. I was so embarrassed, Hermione, humiliated that he could get in my head so easily and…the things I saw.

"Your parents trying to protect you, their deaths," she confirmed what he assumed she knew. The sadness in her eyes for him was palpable.

He nodded dejectedly. "But I heard you. I heard you talking to me. You kept saying my name, and talking about my life. You pulled me back, Hermione. You saved me. I was a real git in the morning. I was so focused on myself, my wand, I was too embarrassed to even ask how you managed to get me back through the boundary. I'm alive thanks to you." She sobbed into his chest, her arms around his waist. He held her tightly until she calmed down and when they looked at each other, his eyes were a little wet too.

"You're my best friend too, you know. I love you too," Harry said and he kissed her forehead. She smiled, squeezing his hand and after a few moments she indicated she was ready to go back.

"You know, this is exhausting. This potion."

"It will all be over soon. Water?" Harry asked.

"I'm sure Ron will have a glass waiting for me on the night table. He is very persistent about the water. He's taking this very seriously." She smiled exhaustedly. "He's a good nurse. Don't tell him I said that."

"You haven't been sick again?"

"No. That part seems to be over." Harry looked put out. "What?" she questioned.

"I didn't warrant a vomit. I think I'm hurt!" he said with a playful pout. She looked at him as if he were mad and then started to laugh. "There's my girl!" he smiled at her admiringly.

"Hmmm…to quote a certain friend of ours, I think you're a nutter!"

"Well, who wouldn't be after what we've been through?"

He escorted her back upstairs where they found Ron sitting in the chair, waiting with his socked feet up on the bed, his fingers laced together over his stomach.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"That's OK, been busy counting the squares in the ceiling tiles—one hundred and forty-four in each if you're wondering." He stood to meet them. He and Harry's eyes met in understanding and they mirrored each other's protective smile over Hermione. Like a tag team, Harry handed her off to Ron's care again and left the room. Ron handed her some water to drink and she complied immediately.

"Alright now?" he asked as he took the empty glass from her.

"Much better, thank you. You were right. I needed that." She said as he walked to her and his arms encircled her. "I also need this at the moment." She tilted her head up to him and their lips met lovingly. "Hmmm. Stubble." She pulled back and looked at him, the backs of her fingers playing with the light layer forming on his chin.

"Sorry. Shaving is not exactly the priority right now. At least I didn't think it would be tonight to be honest."

She looked at him appraisingly, a smile spreading mischievously across her face. "Well, it doesn't feel fantastic, but," she bit her lip, "it looks very nice on you. Rugged, sexy," she admitted as her eyebrows rose suggestively.

Ron eyes widened in surprise. "Good to know."

A/N: The dream of Harry almost didn't make it into this fic because I wrote the whole missing scene in another FF, so if I ever publish that one, you'll feel a little déjà vu for a couple of paragraphs—if you read it that is.

We get to see Fleur briefly in this chapter, but thankfully, I didn't have to write her dialogue. That really isn't fun. Jo must have someone's voice in her head when she writes it.

Can't say how amazed and glad I am by your reactions to my story. Thank you, sincerely. HeRonFan (Countdown: 2weeks to DH Part 1!)