A/N: The next chapter is currently in the works and will be up in a day or two. Sorry for the delay, but I can only work on the weekends! :( Hope you guys enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter 14: Never Grow Up

"But what if-?"

"Hermione, no," Ron insisted. "I'm not dead. Neither are you and neither is Harry. No ifs, ands, or buts. Got it? We're all alive and we're all together."

I nodded. We all would've died today several times over. We were all at the wedding. What if there weren't so many Order members there? We were on Tottenham Court Road. There was a good chance the Death Eaters followed us there. We were in the coffee shop. What if Harry was a second late in deciding to throw that Stunning Spell in Dolohov's direction? If a second in time had gone differently we were, without a doubt, dead.

"It's just that..." I hesitated. "We've grown up too fast, Ron. Harry's had this thrust on him. We've been scared of this happening for so long, when this has finally happened we really didn't know what to do..."

"Listen. We knew the risks when we signed up for this," he whispered, so as not to wake Harry. "As far as anyone knows, I'm on my deathbed with spattergroit. You packed for nearly everything, didn't you? Okay, you've erased your parents' memories. You don't exist in the Muggle world anymore. I know this is complicated, but we knew exactly what to do. We're better prepared than you think."

I didn't speak for a few moments, watching the fan beat its wings slowly. I'd decided to turn it on just so I'd have something to stare at as insomnia kept me awake.

"I don't have this in my blood," I admitted.

"What d'you mean?" asked Ron. "You're still a witch, even if you are Muggle-born."

"It's not that. You and Harry have family that have fought for this cause, that still do. It's in your blood to rebel, not mine."

He thought about it for a minute, knowing I have a need for logical information, not just guesswork, before replying, "Who's the only person in this world daring enough to keep that bloody reporter locked inside a jar as a dung beetle for a year? Or Confund a person in the middle of Quidditch trials without anyone noticing?"

I stared at him. "How do you know about that?"

"I was trying out for Keeper, remember? Of course I was watching Cormack. The only person on the bloody pitch who could do that was you," Ron said matter-of-factly.

I half-heartedly smiled and sighed. "But there's just a part of us I feel like we can't get back, you know?"

"We were a bit ignorant at the time," he agreed.

"Ignorance is bliss. And we didn't get enough of it."

I was suddenly aware of all of my surroundings. The clock on the wall, ticking much too slowly for my taste. It sounded a bit haunting. The overhead fan, harmonizing with the clock. Even Harry's light snoring was keeping time with the melody. "I never thought this day would come, either," Ron said quietly. "I just always imagined it would turn out like it did last time. A miracle would happen and he'd be gone for good."

I fidget in my position on the couch. I can't get comfortable with all this talk of You-Know-Who, it makes my skin crawl and fidget without my consent. Unfortunately, when I threw my arm off the side, hoping to cool myself down enough to relax, I hit him in the chest. Ron jumped. Damn it, why can't I ever do anything the normal way, adjusting the covers to get comfortable?

"I'm sorry." My hand jerked back in an instant, landing on his arm. Well, at least I didn't strike him again.

"'S okay, I can't exactly get used to all of this either," he said, pulling back his arm and reaching for my hand.

Just like old times. Before I started acting strange around him in fourth year. Before I realized I looked at him as more than a best mate. Before Lavender. Before any of the things in our mad lives happened. We were just old friends having a sentimental conversation. I'd never really been sentimental with Ron before, though. It was new and inviting. I closed my eyes as he held my hand. This bliss is better than any ignorance. It's something I've wanted to do for such a long time now, I thought I'd never see the day it actually happened.

"It would've been nice if we'd never grown up," I whispered, feeling strokes between my thumb and forefinger.

"Who says we have?"

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Have a nice day,
Sunny!