Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Hermione had left Ron with his siblings as she walked to the infirmary. He had watched her with concerned eyes when she had declared that's where she was going. She knew it wasn't a great idea for her well-being, but she couldn't explain the pull she felt. She pushed the doors open gently to find the familiar room sombre and quiet, with only the occasional moan.
She approached an exhausted looking Madame Pomfrey. "Madame Pomfrey. Is there anything I can do to help?" The weary matron shook her head. Everyone's just resting now. Hermione nodded and swallowed hard before moving towards a bed at the far end of the wing, curtained off from everyone else.
She gently pushed the curtain aside to remove a disfigured Lavender Brown. She had four long jagged scars vertically extending across the entire right side of her face. She was deathly pale and the wounds didn't seem to be improving very much, although it had only been 24 hours since Hermione had blasted Greyback off of the other girl's body.
She sat beside her roommate and took her hand. How she had hated the other girl when Ron had gone out with her. But it wasn't really personal, although Hermione had tried her best to make it so. But that had been so long ago, before they'd had real problems to worry about; like starving on the run or watching loved ones be slaughtered.
She could no longer find it within herself to be ruthless and she felt deeply saddened and ashamed of her earlier treatment of Lavender. Certainly, no one deserved to be mauled by Greyback. She squeezed the other girl's hand and vowed to visit her more. She had made a pit-stop to her old dorm to grab some of Lavender's favourite magazines which she now laid gently on the table next to the bed.
She stood to leave and turned to find Parvati standing right behind her. The other girl regarded her coolly for a moment. "It was good of you to blast Greyback off of her. But coming to visit her was even better."
Hermione nodded. "I was petty and horribly jealous, but I am not that person anymore." Her voice broke. "I intend to apologize fully to her when she wakes up."
"Good." Was all Parvati said before taking Hermione's place next to her best friend. Hermione understood the dismissal and quietly exited Lavender's bed. On the way here, she'd had a goal and had been able to ignore the dead bodies in the beds lining the opposite wall. But she couldn't ignore them anymore. She stopped at the sight of an older woman holding a baby next to two of the bodies. She lifted her head and her eyes found Hermione's.
"Mrs. Tonks." Hermione said, for this was surely who the woman must be. She bore a striking resemblance to Bellatrix, but she was much softer than her sister. Andromeda smiled sadly. "I'm so very sorry." She wished she could think of something better to say, but the truth seemed harsh. She had loved Lupin and Tonks too, but to say it might make Mrs. Tonks think she was ignorant since she hadn't loved them like she had. So instead she asked, "Is this Teddy?"
"Yes." Mrs. Tonks said softly, happy and sad all at once. "And call me Andromeda." Hermione nodded sharply and gave the older witch a tentative smile. "Would you like to hold him?" She asked and Hermione blanched. She'd never held a baby before, but she found that she did want to, very much. She nodded shyly and Andromeda gently deposited her grandson in Hermione's arms with murmured advice to support his head.
Baby Teddy blinked up at her and his hair became a mass of brown curls. Hermione smiled widely and a few tears leaked out of her eyes. Teddy's eyes widened and changed to a brilliant blue, curls turning Weasley red and Hermione startled and nearly dropped him as a hand dropped on her shoulder.
"Is this Teddy?" She could scarcely breathe as she realized it was Ron behind her and Teddy was mixing their features. The sadness dimmed slightly in Andromeda's eyes as she smirked at the two of them. Hermione ignored her and nodded to Ron. Ron gave the baby his finger and Teddy gripped it with his tiny little fist. "It's mental that Harry has a godson."
"You can hold him if you want, Ron." Andromeda said slyly and Hermione was reminded irresistibly, for the tiniest of seconds, of Malfoy taunting her and Ron about buying the Shrieking Shack in third year. She passed the baby wordlessly to her boyfriend who held the baby as if he was practiced in this sort of thing. The sight of him holding the baby was doing such strange things to Hermione that she had to look away.
Eventually they relinquished Teddy back to his Grandmother and turned to leave the Hospital Wing. Madame Pomfrey was beaming as she walked over to them and handed them a picture. It showed Hermione holding Teddy and Ron coming up behind her as the baby's features changed, the two of them staring down at the baby in wonder. Hermione smiled at it and put it safely in her bag with a nod of thanks.
"I was worried about you being here alone." Ron said softly to her as they made their way out of the sickbay.
"I'm alright. But I didn't want you to have to come here." She said just as softly. He attempted a smile and stopped beside the bed Fred's body was occupying. She put her arm around his waist as tears fell down his face, reminded of her and Harry standing in that exact same way in the graveyard at Godric's Hollow. His arm was around her too and his fingers clutched painfully at her shoulder but she didn't wince.
Eventually he cleared his throat and removed his arm from around her to wipe his eyes. She wrapped her arms around him in the middle of the Hospital Wing and he collapsed into the hug, although he was now dry-eyed. He pulled back, looking a little less agonized, and grabbed her hand. "After you left McGonagall told us we could go home tonight and come back next week for the…funerals. I think everyone's going back to the Burrow."
"Do you want to go back there?" She asked simply and he shrugged. "Ron." She prodded gently.
"No." He whispered. "It's going to be awful. I'll see him everywhere and everyone will be… sad." He finished lamely. Hermione understood.
"We can go back to my parents' house." She said quietly. "Kingsley told me the Death Eaters came looking but for some reason didn't demolish the house when they found it empty."
He shook his head. "No. They're my family. I have to go back with them." She wished she could take all of the pain out of his eyes, out of his heart. But she couldn't.
"Okay," was all she said.
"You're coming back with us, right? Harry is." Ron asked her.
"If you want me there then there's nowhere else I'd rather be." She said sincerely and he exhaled.
"Thank Merlin. I'm sorry." He said, and she blinked at him, bewildered.
"What for?"
"For leaning on you, needing you, for being so…clingy." Hermione's mouth fell open.
"How could you even think…? Ron that's what love is. People leaning on each other when they're hurting. I…I love you." She whispered bravely and his eyes widened. She would have found his expression comical if the discussion wasn't so terribly serious. "You are allowed to lean on me as much as you want. Do you think lesser of me when I lean on you?" He shook his head. "Besides," she continued, "I like it when you're clingy." She smiled brightly at him, tears shining in her eyes for the umpteenth time since the battle.
He could do nothing but stand there, rooted to the spot and gaping at her, for a few seconds. "I love you." He said earnestly, kissing her sweetly. "Merlin, it feels like we're moving way too fast, but we aren't. Hermione I've loved you for so long." And then they were kissing each other as if they were drowning and the other alone could provide them with oxygen.
"Really?" A voice said in amusement from behind them. "Snogging in the middle of a corridor again?" They turned to find Harry staring at them with raised eyebrows. Ron snorted.
"And again, you have terrible timing mate." Harry grinned and spread his hands as if to say what can you do. "You guys seen Andromeda? She's been with in the hospital wing all day and I wanted to bring her away from all those dead bodies." He said bluntly. Neither her nor Ron winced.
"Yeah. She's still there." Ron informed him quietly.
"Teddy is the sweetest thing." Hermione said and Harry beamed.
"I know." He said before walking past them in the direction they had just come. Ron and Hermione exchanged a loaded glance, wondering if they should let him go in there alone.
"Harry!" Ginny called from down the hall. "I think it's about time you introduce me to this godson of yours." Hermione exchanged a look with her and smiled, tugging Ron back to the Great Hall and letting Ginny help Harry.
"Mr. Weasley!" A voice called after them as they entered the hall and Hermione was stunned to see Slughorn materialize in front of them. Ron seemed shocked, Slughorn had purposely never said his name right. "I want to apologize to you."
Hermione was astonished at this revelation. "You are a hero, and I always treated you as if you didn't matter. It was wrong. I saw you take down Greyback, and Mr. Potter told me how brave you were with him last year. No specifics, don't worry," he said, seeming to read the alarm on both of their faces, "but enough for me to know I have grossly misjudged you." He held out his hand to Ron who shook it and smiled up at the Professor.
"Thank you very much Professor." The old man nodded and walked away, limping slightly. Hermione couldn't stop the smile spreading across her face as she squeezed Ron's arm.
The rest of the day they helped to magically clear rubble with everyone else who was able, but at nightfall everyone became restless. They wanted to leave, but at the same time they didn't want to go home.
"Well. Time to head home." Mr. Weasley announced and led the family over to one of the many fireplaces set up. One by one the Weasley's stepped into it and vanished in a flurry of green. Ginny stepped into the flames, followed by Harry, and only Ron and Hermione were left. He took a deep breath and made to step through but Hermione stopped him with a hand on his arm.
"I'll go first." His eyes snapped to hers. "That way I'll be with you the whole time." He looked at her with deep gratitude and she kissed his cheek.
"I love you." He said again and she smiled softly, a private smile just for him.
"I love you too." She said before disappearing into the flames. She emerged to find the entire family sitting in the living room in silence. Harry and Fleur were the only ones who could meet her eyes. Her heart sank in empathy and tears filled her own eyes. She felt as though she had no right to mourn him, but a memory of Fred came anyways.
It was Bill and Fleur's wedding and Hermione had a moment to herself in the back garden. "Hey Granger. You look dazzling. Maybe my brother will actually ask you to dance this time instead of being an arse." She looked around wildly for the source of the voice. "It's all over your face." Fred said, appearing out of nowhere, and she blushed scarlet.
"I don't know what you're talking about." She tried valiantly and he grinned.
"'Oh Ginny I just don't know what to do, I don't want to lose his friendship but seeing him with Lavender was unbearable.'" He mocked in a terrible imitation of her and her eyes narrowed on him.
"You eavesdropped on us?" She said quietly.
"I didn't mean to. I couldn't sleep and Gin-gin's door was open a crack. I don't mean to torment you. I think the two of you would be a great match. If he doesn't find the courage to ask you, you should ask him to dance."
"You think we would be great together?" She said, dumbfounded. She had no idea Fred was so invested in them. She had no idea he was observant, Her fault, for writing him off.
"A perfect match. You need someone to challenge you and look after you and Ron is the only one who does both. And he needs someone to be strong for him when he can't be, and to make him understand he has worth. You're going to need each other when this is over. Promise you'll help him."
"No." She said and he startled, gaping at her reproachfully. "I won't do that to him. I won't look after him just because you made me promise. I'll do it for him, you know I will. But I will not do it out of obligation."
Fred beamed at her. "I intend to see a niece or nephew with a tangle of Weasley red curls someday." He informed her. Hermione blushed thoroughly and made to retort, but he was already gone.
The fireplace whooshed and Hermione turned to face Ron with a tear trailing down her cheek. A couple fell down his face as he went to sit on the last available surface. She hovered uncertainly next to him and he pulled her down onto his lap. Her cheeks heated but no one seemed to notice. Besides, almost everyone else was in a similar position.
Fleur was on Bill's lap next to a distraught Percy, Ginny squashed in so close to Harry she practically was on his lap. None of it was really romantic. Hermione leaned back against Ron's chest with no comfort to offer him other than her presence. She wondered if she would ever tell him about her conversation with Fred. Maybe later, she decided, when the wound wasn't so fresh. She had known, even then, though she hadn't acknowledged it at the time, that she loved Ron and that was why she would help him. The thought made her smile through the grief.
Their shared but individual sorrow made it easier to breathe and she revelled in the fact that these people had become her family. She stubbornly pushed thoughts of her parents out of her mind and just let herself give and receive comfort with her surrogate family.