Chapter 21

May 2000

Hermione entered the living room of Grimmauld Place, dusting Floo powder off. She was greeted by Ginny, who came down the stairs at the sound of her arrival. Ginny had invited her over for some much needed catching up. The two hadn't been able to talk much since before Ron's accident, and Ginny was dying to know what was going on between them. She and Harry had visited, but the conversations were kept light, and she hadn't been able to pick up on much from observing Ron and Hermione together. Hermione was actually excited to talk with Ginny as well. For the first time in so long, the topic of her and Ron no longer gave her a stomachache. She felt hopeful, and it was a welcome change.

The girls sat down on the couch and waited for their final guest to arrive. Only a few minutes later, the fireplace glowed green, and Maisie stepped out of the flames. It had been Hermione's idea to invite her. She wanted to get to know her better, but it was hard to do so when Ron was around. He and Maisie seemed to have so much to talk about, so Hermione figured that she would see if they had anything in common as well. And if not, Maisie would always have Ron, so Hermione figured it was worth a shot. Ginny had thought it a bit odd that Hermione had wanted her there, since she had picked up on her jealousy when they were at St. Mungo's. But, she became keener on the idea when Hermione quickly explained that there never was anything between Maisie and Ron, and she had misjudged her.

"Hi Maisie!" Hermione greeted her as she walked out of the fireplace.

"Hi Hermione, hi Ginny," Maisie greeted each of them with a friendly smile.

"Come on in, we were just about to go make some lunch," Ginny said.

The three girls went into the kitchen and made sandwiches, and then settled into the dining area to eat.

"Lovely house you've got," Maisie said as she looked around the vast rooms of Grimmauld Place.

"Oh, thanks," Ginny replied with a wave of her hand. "It belonged to Harry's godfather. It's a bit…dreary. But, it's home now."

"Do you think you and Harry will ever move?" Hermione asked, thinking back to her and Ron's conversation on the matter.

"I would definitely like to. I mean, can you imagine raising children here? But I'm not sure about Harry. We've never really talked about it. And you know how much he loved Sirius." Ginny's brow knitted together as though she had never really given it much thought either, until that moment.

"Maybe you should talk to him about it," offered Hermione. "You might be surprised at his answer." Hermione noticed that Maisie seemed to be lost in what they were saying. She had no idea who Sirius was, or who used to live in the Black family home. And the last thing she wanted to do was make her feel like an outsider. She quickly changed the subject.

"So Maisie, how have you been? You know, since the um, accident and everything."

"Oh, much better actually. My arm is fully healed, as you can see." She lifted up her arm, which was no longer in a sling. "And work has been quiet. It's definitely boring without Ron there. Is he…doing okay?"

"He's doing alright," Hermione replied, and Ginny suddenly leaned forward, eager to finally get some answers to her questions. "His leg…it's…well it's paralyzed." They still hadn't told any of Ron's family about his leg yet. In fact, Harry was visiting Ron while Hermione was out, and he was going to tell him too. Even though they both were holding on to hope that he might regain the use of it, the chances were getting slimmer with every day that passed.

"Paralyzed?" Ginny gasped.

"That's awful," Maisie said, shaking her head. "When did it happen?"

Hermione launched into the details of Ron's recovery over the past month, explaining how his surface wounds had healed, and how he'd been able to take a couple of steps. But then she finished with how he'd woken up one morning with no feeling in his leg, and it hadn't returned since.

"I can't believe it." Maisie sucked in a sharp breath. "So he…he won't be coming back to the department then."

Hermione shook her head. "It looks that way."

She was secretly happy that Ron was no longer going to be in danger, but she hated that it had to be because of an injury. It should have been on his terms.

"So, how's he taking it? I mean we all know my brother doesn't have the best coping skills," Ginny smiled.

"He's had his moments," Hermione admitted. "But, overall I think he's finally starting to come to terms with it…. How's the wedding planning coming along?" she asked Ginny, hoping to change the subject.

"No. Absolutely not. We are not changing the subject! Hermione, are you going to make me beg?" Ginny asked, with raised eyebrows.

"What?" Hermione replied innocently.

"What the bloody hell is going on between you two? Are you back together or not?" Ginny demanded.

"Ginny!" Hermione scolded.

"I must confess, I'd like to know as well," Maisie chimed in, and her and Ginny shared a laugh at Hermione's expression.

"Alright, alright," Hermione replied exasperated. "If you must know, we aren't officially back together yet. But…I think it looks like we may be soon."

"Yay!" Ginny squealed in delight.

"That's great, Hermione," Maisie said.

"I think we both realized how stupid we were. When he got hurt and I thought I might lose him…I just can't imagine living my life without him. I love him. I always have."

Hermione smiled, wondering if she'd ever get tired of hearing the words out loud. She loved Ron, and she was happy with the way things were headed. The two girls in front of her were evidently pretty pleased as well; she was greeted with beaming smiles from each one of them as she spoke.

"Of course we already knew that," Ginny said smiling. "Took you long enough to figure it out though."

"Tell him," Maisie said, suddenly serious. "Tell him tonight, Hermione. Don't waste another day. If you really love him and want to be with him…he should know."

"Yes, I suppose you're right," Hermione said carefully, unsure what was causing the sudden change in Maisie's demeanor. "I will. I'll talk to him, I promise."

Maisie let out a breath she had been holding in. Hermione and Ginny were both looking at her, anxious.

"I'm sorry," she said, feigning a laugh. "Didn't mean to get so serious all of a sudden."

"Don't worry about it," Ginny said, and she reached over to touch Maisie's arm.

"Is…everything okay?" Hermione asked Maisie. "You don't have to tell us or anything, I know you don't know us all that well," she quickly added.

"I'm-I'm fine," Maisie stammered. "Its just…Ron didn't tell you?" She was looking at Hermione, a look of confusion etched on her pretty face.

"Tell me what?" Hermione asked nervously.

Maisie didn't answer right away, but instead smiled and shook her head. "I should have known. He's a loyal friend."

Hermione and Ginny exchanged looks, now very interested to know what Maisie had told Ron.

"My fiancé was killed," she said bluntly.

Expressions of horror filled Hermione and Ginny's faces and they turned to look at each other, unsure of what to say. Hermione thought about how it was her worst fear of what could happen to Ron as an Auror, and how close it had come to being a reality with his latest injury. She pictured Maisie, crying at the side of a hospital bed like she had; only Maisie's fiancé hadn't woken up.

"Maisie, I'm so, so sorry. You must think I'm-I'm just horrible for ever complaining about Ron when…" Hermione trailed off, unable to even finish the thought.

"No, not at all. You've got me all wrong Hermione. I don't judge either of you in the slightest. Just because the ones that you love are alive doesn't mean you don't have a right to get angry about things," Maisie smiled, reminiscently. "Jack used to drive me crazy sometimes."

"Jack, was he an Auror too?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, he was. Killed on an assignment. It was a few years ago. Ron was…the first person I ever told about it. Some of the Aurors in our department knew Jack, but a lot of people who knew him were killed during the war."

"What made you tell Ron?" Hermione asked.

"I suppose I knew that I could trust him. And if I'm being honest, I knew that it would motivate him not to give up on you."

"Well thank you, Maisie. I owe so much to you. You saved Ron's life and…brought him back to me." Her eyes filled with tears and she reached up to wipe them away.

Maisie reached across the table and grabbed Hermione's arm. "Don't thank me. He loves you Hermione. He would have found his way back one way or another."

"You just gave him the shove he needed," Ginny replied with a light laugh.

"I suppose that is true," Maisie agreed. "Telling Ron…it helped me too. I think once I finally talked to someone about it, I was able to…not to forget, because I'll never forget him," she said quickly. "But…to finally know that I can move on. That I can be happy again."

"You deserve that, Maisie. We all deserve to be happy," Hermione said.

"Thanks Hermione. But, I didn't mean to put such a damper on our conversation. You're both probably regretting inviting me over already!" Maisie said with a laugh.

"Not at all!" Ginny replied. "I have to say, Ron has good taste in friends." She nudged Hermione and smiled at Maisie. "I'm not sure any of us would be here now, talking together, if it weren't for him."

"You know, that's probably true," Hermione agreed. "I never thought about it that way. Well, thank goodness Ron and Harry saved me from that giant troll all those years ago."

"He WHAT?" Maisie exclaimed.

Ginny and Hermione dissolved into a fit of giggles, and told Maisie the story. They all laughed thinking back to their days at Hogwarts and the adventures they'd shared. Maisie couldn't believe some of the things they had experienced, and how young they had been.

"I mean, you all are more experienced than me, and I'm the Auror!" she joked.

The conversation finally turned to talk of Harry and Ginny's wedding. The planning was going fine; although Ginny did roll her eyes at some of the disagreements she'd had with her mother. They all realized that hours had passed since they'd been sitting at the dining room table, but the conversation had flowed so easily that none of them had even noticed. On their way out, Ginny hugged Hermione and told her that she needed to get fitted for her bridesmaids dress. Then she turned to Maisie and gave her a hug as well.

"And Maisie, of course you're invited to the wedding. We haven't sent out the invitations yet but be on the lookout, okay?"

"Oh, thank you Ginny. That's so sweet of you. I definitely will be."

Hermione then turned to Maisie and gave her a warm hug.

"So good to see you again. Come by anytime, I know Ron would love to see you," Hermione said.

"Thank you Hermione. I'll take you up on that sometime for sure."

Maisie was the first to step into the fireplace, and with one last wave she was gone.

"I really like her," Ginny said when she was gone. "I mean she's funny and smart. We should set her up with one of my brothers so we can all be sisters!" Ginny joked.

Hermione smiled. "I like her too," she admitted. "She's wonderful. I can see why Ron is so fond of her."

"Jury's still out though on why she's so fond of him," Ginny said laughing. "Although, I guess I could say the same for you…"

Hermione playfully smacked her on the arm, and then stepped into the fireplace.

"Only joking!" Ginny added with a smirk.

"Bye Ginny, I'll see you soon, yeah?"

"See you Hermione. And yes, soon. I need to know how things go with you and Ron."

Hermione rolled her eyes but nodded in reply. She threw down her fistful of Floo powder, and watched as Ginny dissolved into the flames around her.

• • •

Ron and Harry greeted Hermione as she arrived back at her flat from Grimmauld Place. The three of them sat talking for a few more minutes, before Harry left, and then it was just the two of them.

"Did you have a good time?" Ron asked her, as they got ready for dinner.

"Yes, I did. It was great to see Ginny. And Maisie."

"Maisie was there?" Ron cocked his head to the side in confusion.

"Oh, yes, I invited her. I thought I should get to know her better. And I really like her Ron." Hermione smiled warmly at him.

"I'm glad you do."

"She-she told us about Jack."

Ron's eyes grew wide. "Really?"

"Yeah. I understand why you didn't tell me, it was her story to tell. But, I still can't believe it. Can you imagine?"

"No," Ron said sadly. "I can't."

Hermione turned back to her dinner preparations as Ron set the small table for the two of them. She played the conversation with Maisie over in her mind, and how she had promised she would speak to Ron tonight. Determination welled up inside of her and she took a few minutes to gather her thoughts. Ron was the love of her life. She had almost lost him once, and she couldn't imagine spending her life without him. She vowed to trust him, completely, and to stop bringing up the issues of the past. He had apologized so many times, and she knew that he meant it. For all his flaws, he was still perfect to her. Everything she loved about him, and everything she didn't particularly care for, made him Ron. Her Ron. When dinner was ready, they sat down together and ate in a comfortable silence. When she was finished, Hermione took a deep breath.

"Ron," she began.

He raised his eyebrows. "Yeah?"

"I wanted to talk to you about something…I'm not really sure how to start so I'll just get right to the point."

Ron leaned forward in his chair, his eyes locked intently on Hermione's.

"Ron I-I want to be with you. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to know for sure, but now I do. I love you, and…I trust you, completely."

Ron didn't say anything in reply, but he smiled and took her hand. She decided to continue.

"I want you to know that I will support you, whether or not you decide to return to the Auror department. If you go back, it will make me anxious, but I'll be okay. I love you too much to see you give up on something that you love. I don't want to hold you back. I'm choosing to trust you Ron, because I realized through all of this that trust and love are choices we have to make. And even though I could get hurt, it's worth the risk. I'm going to choose you every day, because the alternative is a life without you. A life without love. And I don't want that. I want you."

Hermione sat back, wishing that Ron would say something. She was baring her soul to him, and he was merely smiling and squeezing her hand.

"Hermione," he finally began. "You don't know how long I've wanted to hear you say that. I was scared that you might never…trust me again. And it killed me to know that I had caused you so much pain. But, I made a decision. I'm going back to the Auror department, but I'm going to take myself out of the field. I'm a strategizer anyway, so I can still plan missions. I just won't be the one going on them. I was actually just telling Harry about it before you got back. I'm going to go to our boss on Monday."

Hermione's insides swirled as she processed what Ron was telling her. She couldn't believe that he was deciding to take himself out of the field.

"I don't want you to just do it for my sake-"

"I'm not. I've really thought this through. With my leg it would be hard for me anyway…I think this is the best option. And this way, you won't have to be anxious. I want you to be happy, Hermione. It's all I've ever wanted to do. You are more important than any job or career. And it's more of a compromise. I don't have to completely give up what I love, but I can be safe. I love you too, you know. I don't want my career to cause you to worry every day."

Touched by his words, she stood up, walked over to his chair, and bent down to kiss him. Their lips had not met in days, and they both felt as though they could finally breathe again. She sat herself on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I love you Ron," she whispered into his neck. "And I'm so sorry, for everything. After we broke up, I was so angry with you, but I also only wanted you to comfort me. It was the strangest mix of emotions. And when you left for training I missed you every day. I would tell myself that when you came back, I'd give you a chance. But as that day came closer all of the anger returned, and when I saw you that morning, I couldn't do it. So I left. It was easier I suppose."

Ron looked into Hermione's eyes, the eyes of the woman he loved so deeply, and felt such a strong regret for any of the hurt he caused her. She had to go through so much, alone.

"I'm sorry, love. I'm so sorry. For everything that I said that night, and for everything that I put you through. I didn't mean any of it. I was trying to figure out my life and my career on my own, but I know that I should have been trying to figure it out with you. And anyway, look where it got me," Ron gestured to his leg.

"I was just as wrong as you were. I was trying to tell you how to live your life, and that wasn't my decision to make. I've had a lot of time to think over the past few months, and I know that I was letting my own insecurities get in the way of everything. Sometimes I just couldn't believe that you really loved me. And then to top it all off, I still had no idea what I wanted to do with my own life…I'm just really sorry, Ron. I'm sorry that it took me so long to figure it out." Hermione looked down, but Ron gently tilted her chin back up, so that they were looking into each other's eyes.

"You have nothing to apologize for. It's me who needs forgiveness, and can you ever forgive me, Hermione? I put my career and what I thought would make me happy before you, and I promise to never do that again. I'd give it all up in an instant for you. You're more important."

"Of course I forgive you Ron!" she replied enthusiastically.

Hermione knew that the reason she had been hurt so deeply by Ron in the first place, was because of how deeply they loved each other. Giving your heart to another person and trusting them with it was at times, terrifying, but necessary to be able to experience the very best kinds of love. And she knew that they would still argue; arguing had been a part of their relationship since they were only friends, but they wouldn't hurt each other so intentionally, and wouldn't speak such harsh words any longer.

"So," Ron sighed. "Does this mean…that we are officially back together?"

Hermione grinned. "Ron Weasley? Will you be my boyfriend again?"

"Yes, of course I will," he replied, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

"Then yes, I'd say we are officially back together."

Ron brushed a finger over her lips before kissing her, finally back with the woman he loved, his best friend in the world. They kissed, unencumbered by anything holding them back, for the first time in so long.

"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed, effectively breaking off their kiss.

Ron gave a little frown and tried to recapture her lips with his.

"Hey," she laughed, gently pushing him back. "We have plenty of time for all of that now. But, I almost forgot. We need to talk about our living situation."

Hermione stood up, and began clearing away their dinner plates.

"Oh, yeah," Ron replied grimly. "I suppose we do. Well, seeing as my leg is, uh, not healed, but not getting any better, I probably need to get back to my own flat. As much as I've loved having you take care of me, I knew that it wouldn't last forever."

"Orrrr," Hermione dragged out the word playfully, looking at Ron with a devious smile. "You could stay."

"Stay? Here?"

"Yes, here. But not for me to take care of you. You could move in. And it could be just the two of us."

Ron's eyes sparkled as he barely registered Hermione's words.

"You want me to move in, permanently?"

"Only if you want to," she replied in a hurry.

"Want to? Hermione, I'd love to."

She beamed at him from across the room. "Then it's settled."

• • •

Over the next few days, Harry and Davis helped Ron pack up his things and send them over to Hermione's. Davis was thrilled for him, but sorry to see him go as a roommate. Harry was overjoyed for his two best friends who had finally reconciled, and seemed to be in a good place for the first time in a long while. Ron talked to his boss, who was upset to be losing Ron in the field, but more than happy to accommodate his request to remain a Lead Strategizing Auror. Maisie was shocked at Ron's decision, but understood, and congratulated him on getting back together with Hermione.

A comfortable routine developed over the next couple of weeks. Ron and Hermione would leave for the Ministry together every morning, and they'd have lunch together almost every afternoon, sometimes meeting up with Harry or Maisie as well. They'd get home at night and have dinner, and then catch up on more work or read, before finally going to sleep. It wasn't the most exciting life; they weren't on the run, they weren't trying to stop a dark wizard, and they weren't trying to save anyone's life, but the change was a welcome one for them both. Ron would kiss Hermione goodnight, and watch her fall asleep, hardly believing that this was his life, and not a dream.

Love getting to write these happy moments, finally. This is NOT the end! I still have a couple of chapters planned for this story, and I hope that you are enjoying it so far. Thank you for all the reviews! I love reading your thoughts and predictions.

xoxo