Chapter Ten: The Dream

Suddenly, she wasn't at the fountain; she was in the apple orchard at the Burrow. And a very familiar redhead was strolling towards her, hands in his pockets.

"Ron!" she whispered, stunned.

"Hi, Hermione," he said with a smile.

"Oh, I've missed you so much!" she cried, throwing her arms around him.

"I've missed you too," he said quietly.

"It's been so lonely since you died," she said. "I...I have something to tell you."

"I know about the baby," Ron said. "It wasn't your fault."

"You know?" she asked, astonished.

Ron nodded. "What I don't know is why you are so upset. Draco loves you, Hermione."

She paled. "You know about me and Draco?"

Ron chuckled and nodded. "I know everything about you."

"Oh," she replied, frowning. "If he loves me, then why didn't he defend me when his father said all those horrible things about me?"

"Hermione, answer me this. When you used to read under the covers at night when you were little, were your parents upset?"

"Yes."

"And what was the first thing they did when they found out?"

"They gave me a chance to stop on my own."

"But you argued. So what did they do?"

"They took away my book." It took her a minute to understand. "Oh. I'm the book in this scenario?"

"Exactly. So what does that mean?"

"He didn't argue, because if he had, It might have made things worse," she realized. "He does love me. He was trying to protect me." And then all she wanted was for Draco to be there, holding her hand.

"As any man should do for the woman he loves," Ron said gently.

"But... What if he's angry with me?" she fretted.

"He can't be angry with you," said Ron quietly. "It's not possible. He loves you too much."

Hermione heard the pain in his voice. "Oh, Ron..."

"It's all right," he assured her. "I just want you to be happy. I don't want you to be living a lonely life anymore. In a way, he's given more to you than I ever could. And I only want you to be happy."

She hugged him tightly. "Thank you."

He smiled a little. "Who would've thought...you and Malfoy!" he said. "Scandalous!"

"Shut up, Ron," she said, turning pink and swatting at him, just as she would in real life.

He smiled. "I have to go. I only had a few minutes to come back." He stood and began to walk away. After a few steps, he paused. "Remember...be happy." And then he was gone. Hermione was back in her little garden. She realized it had only been a dream.