A/N: Okay, this is officially the crappiest part of this little trilogy I've ended up with. I only wrote it because a few people requested a sequel, and I figured I might as well write a conclusion to satisfy the readers. J.K. Rowling owns the characters.
Christmas came and went. The laughter returned, and everything between the three friends returned to semi-normal again. Yet as the saying goes, the only thing that stays the same is that everything changes. Every day she spent with Ron, Hermione felt something in her heart grow stronger for him. She was afraid to put a name to it, or even acknowledge that the feeling was there. Still, she couldn't deny that it was growing....
Time flew by, and soon spring was upon them. The Hogwarts grounds were covered in sweet, fresh green grass scattered with well-cared for flower patches, and the warm air was making people become more and more giddy. This newly born sense of life was torture for Argus Filch; boys brought flowers to their sweethearts, which would eventually get dropped in the halls, and dirt was being tracked in constantly.
It was on one of those early spring days that found Ron and Hermione walking together outside, ambling towards the Quiddith Field to watch Harry practice. "Looks like it's going to rain...." Ron commented, his eyes on the sky. Before his companion could reply, he tripped over a root in the middle of the path and went sprawling, his long limbs splayed out comically. Hermione took one look at him and burst out laughing.
He glared up at her. "Think it's funny, do you?" he asked, spitting dirt out of his mouth. She nodded helplessly in reply, still shaking with mirth. "All right then, you give it a go!" With that, he reached up and grabbed her leg, knocking her off-balance and dragging her onto the ground with him.
"You...you..." Unable to come up with a suitable insult, she merely laughed again and shoved him in the arm. Grinning, he shoved back, and soon they were engaged in a mock-brawl, both of them laughing hysterically the entire time.
"What's going on!?" a sharp voice demanded. Hermione and Ron both stopped and looked up, looking slightly guilty and very out of breath. Professor McGonagall stood before them, her hands resting on her hips. It was amazing how such a reedy-looking woman could be so formidable at times. "Well?" she asked, glaring down at them.
Ron cleared his throat. "Well....uh....well, you see, Professor, I tripped and fell, and Hermione was just....helping me up." he said, grinning in what he hoped was a winning manner. His teacher didn't look very convinced.
"You two had better stay out of trouble!" she said sternly. She studied them for a moment before turning to leave, and Hermione thought she saw a ghost of a smile flit across the older woman's face.
"Well, that was easy enough." Ron remarked, standing up and brushing dirt off himself. "Oy....Mum'll kill me for these grass stains...." he groaned, examining a large green patch on his knee. Hermione frowned, slightly confused.
"But there's a spell to take care of stains....it shouldn't be that hard to remove." she said slowly. Lately, she had been wary of voicing any sort of superior opinion, afraid to run the risk of sounding like a know-it-all. Ron nodded in response.
"Yeah, there is. But I never will forget the time Ginny got grass stains all over the back of this little white dress she had.....Mum had to perform that spell seventeen times before they came out." he said, chuckling in spite of himself. Hermione laughed as well, but stopped when a large raindrop hit her squarely in the nose.
"Well, you were right. Should we try to get back to the school, or go on up to the Quidditch Field?" she asked. Without warning, a clap of thunder crashed through the sky, followed almost immediatly by a blinding flash of lightning. Hermione whimpered slightly under her breath, and Ron frowned.
"What's wrong? Come on, let's run down to Hagrid's." he suggested, already starting down the hill. He stopped when he realized Hermione wasn't following him. She remained stock-still as the rain began pouring in sheets all around her. Another roll of thunder came, and she closed her eyes tightly.
"What's wrong?" Ron asked, jogging back to her side and trying to pull her in the direction of Hagrid's hut. Opening her eyes, she looked at him fearfully.
"I...I'm afraid of storms." she whimpered, slightly ashamed. She expected him to laugh; instead, he nodded in understanding.
"Ginny used to be. Then one time, we took her out in a thunderstorm, and we all danced in the rain. It made her laugh, and she started to dance with us, completely forgetting to be afraid." he said, then grabbed Hermione's hand. "C'mon. Dance with me, it's fun!"
"He's crazy. He has to be crazy." she thought. The thunder caused her to cringe again, and she took a deep breath, nodding in acceptance of his offer. "What the heck, it's worth a try..."
Ron grinned and clasped both her hands in his, then began twirling around. Faster and faster they spun, the trees and rain blurring together in a greenish grey swirl. The only thing Hermione could focus clearly on was his face as he grinned comically, and she couldn't help but laugh.
Without warning, he released his hold on her, and they were both thrown off-balance, still laughing. The grass on the hill was slick with rainwater, and Hermione lost her footing. She tumbled gently down the hill, still laughing. "Ron, come help me!" she shouted as she neared the bottom.
He was halfway down the hill before he realized something was wrong. Terribly wrong. Hermione had reached the bottom, but she was just lying there, unmoving. Worried, he began to move faster, and that's when he noticed the dark red liquid pooling around her head. "Hermione!" he screamed, and slid the rest of the way to the bottom.
"Oh, God." he said numbly, kneeling beside her. She had hit her head on a sharp rock, and there was a sickening gash on the side of her head, pouring with blood. Still numb with shock, Ron cradled her in his lap. "Hermione...say something....please...."
Her eyes fluttered open. "Ron...." she whispered, the life draining out of her slowly. "Ron...I love you...."
Tears sprung to his eyes, but he quickly blinked them away. She couldn't see him cry, not now. "Don't say that now. You're going to be all right. We'll get Madam Pomfrey to fix that little cut up, and you'll be fine in no time." he replied, half choking on the words.
Hermione smiled weakly. "I love you." she repeated in a barely audible murmur. Ron gulped back a sob and nodded.
"I...I love you too, 'Mione."
Another ghost of a smile rested on her rain-washed face. "I'm not afraid of storms anymore.....rain will make the flowers grow....." Her hazel eyes clouded over, and she fell limp in his arms.
~*~*~*~
It was hours before they were found. Ron was still sitting there in the mud, holding the cold, drenched body in his arms when Professor McGonagall approached. The two empty spaces at the Gryffindor table had been noticed, and she had gone out to search for them. She stood, speechless, looking on in disbelief at what she saw. "Ron...what happened?" she cried out.
Slowly, the redhead raised his eyes to look at his teacher. "She's not afraid anymore." he said simply. Not bothering to explain any futher, he stood, picking up Hermione's body as he did, and carried her back to Hogwarts.
Christmas came and went. The laughter returned, and everything between the three friends returned to semi-normal again. Yet as the saying goes, the only thing that stays the same is that everything changes. Every day she spent with Ron, Hermione felt something in her heart grow stronger for him. She was afraid to put a name to it, or even acknowledge that the feeling was there. Still, she couldn't deny that it was growing....
Time flew by, and soon spring was upon them. The Hogwarts grounds were covered in sweet, fresh green grass scattered with well-cared for flower patches, and the warm air was making people become more and more giddy. This newly born sense of life was torture for Argus Filch; boys brought flowers to their sweethearts, which would eventually get dropped in the halls, and dirt was being tracked in constantly.
It was on one of those early spring days that found Ron and Hermione walking together outside, ambling towards the Quiddith Field to watch Harry practice. "Looks like it's going to rain...." Ron commented, his eyes on the sky. Before his companion could reply, he tripped over a root in the middle of the path and went sprawling, his long limbs splayed out comically. Hermione took one look at him and burst out laughing.
He glared up at her. "Think it's funny, do you?" he asked, spitting dirt out of his mouth. She nodded helplessly in reply, still shaking with mirth. "All right then, you give it a go!" With that, he reached up and grabbed her leg, knocking her off-balance and dragging her onto the ground with him.
"You...you..." Unable to come up with a suitable insult, she merely laughed again and shoved him in the arm. Grinning, he shoved back, and soon they were engaged in a mock-brawl, both of them laughing hysterically the entire time.
"What's going on!?" a sharp voice demanded. Hermione and Ron both stopped and looked up, looking slightly guilty and very out of breath. Professor McGonagall stood before them, her hands resting on her hips. It was amazing how such a reedy-looking woman could be so formidable at times. "Well?" she asked, glaring down at them.
Ron cleared his throat. "Well....uh....well, you see, Professor, I tripped and fell, and Hermione was just....helping me up." he said, grinning in what he hoped was a winning manner. His teacher didn't look very convinced.
"You two had better stay out of trouble!" she said sternly. She studied them for a moment before turning to leave, and Hermione thought she saw a ghost of a smile flit across the older woman's face.
"Well, that was easy enough." Ron remarked, standing up and brushing dirt off himself. "Oy....Mum'll kill me for these grass stains...." he groaned, examining a large green patch on his knee. Hermione frowned, slightly confused.
"But there's a spell to take care of stains....it shouldn't be that hard to remove." she said slowly. Lately, she had been wary of voicing any sort of superior opinion, afraid to run the risk of sounding like a know-it-all. Ron nodded in response.
"Yeah, there is. But I never will forget the time Ginny got grass stains all over the back of this little white dress she had.....Mum had to perform that spell seventeen times before they came out." he said, chuckling in spite of himself. Hermione laughed as well, but stopped when a large raindrop hit her squarely in the nose.
"Well, you were right. Should we try to get back to the school, or go on up to the Quidditch Field?" she asked. Without warning, a clap of thunder crashed through the sky, followed almost immediatly by a blinding flash of lightning. Hermione whimpered slightly under her breath, and Ron frowned.
"What's wrong? Come on, let's run down to Hagrid's." he suggested, already starting down the hill. He stopped when he realized Hermione wasn't following him. She remained stock-still as the rain began pouring in sheets all around her. Another roll of thunder came, and she closed her eyes tightly.
"What's wrong?" Ron asked, jogging back to her side and trying to pull her in the direction of Hagrid's hut. Opening her eyes, she looked at him fearfully.
"I...I'm afraid of storms." she whimpered, slightly ashamed. She expected him to laugh; instead, he nodded in understanding.
"Ginny used to be. Then one time, we took her out in a thunderstorm, and we all danced in the rain. It made her laugh, and she started to dance with us, completely forgetting to be afraid." he said, then grabbed Hermione's hand. "C'mon. Dance with me, it's fun!"
"He's crazy. He has to be crazy." she thought. The thunder caused her to cringe again, and she took a deep breath, nodding in acceptance of his offer. "What the heck, it's worth a try..."
Ron grinned and clasped both her hands in his, then began twirling around. Faster and faster they spun, the trees and rain blurring together in a greenish grey swirl. The only thing Hermione could focus clearly on was his face as he grinned comically, and she couldn't help but laugh.
Without warning, he released his hold on her, and they were both thrown off-balance, still laughing. The grass on the hill was slick with rainwater, and Hermione lost her footing. She tumbled gently down the hill, still laughing. "Ron, come help me!" she shouted as she neared the bottom.
He was halfway down the hill before he realized something was wrong. Terribly wrong. Hermione had reached the bottom, but she was just lying there, unmoving. Worried, he began to move faster, and that's when he noticed the dark red liquid pooling around her head. "Hermione!" he screamed, and slid the rest of the way to the bottom.
"Oh, God." he said numbly, kneeling beside her. She had hit her head on a sharp rock, and there was a sickening gash on the side of her head, pouring with blood. Still numb with shock, Ron cradled her in his lap. "Hermione...say something....please...."
Her eyes fluttered open. "Ron...." she whispered, the life draining out of her slowly. "Ron...I love you...."
Tears sprung to his eyes, but he quickly blinked them away. She couldn't see him cry, not now. "Don't say that now. You're going to be all right. We'll get Madam Pomfrey to fix that little cut up, and you'll be fine in no time." he replied, half choking on the words.
Hermione smiled weakly. "I love you." she repeated in a barely audible murmur. Ron gulped back a sob and nodded.
"I...I love you too, 'Mione."
Another ghost of a smile rested on her rain-washed face. "I'm not afraid of storms anymore.....rain will make the flowers grow....." Her hazel eyes clouded over, and she fell limp in his arms.
~*~*~*~
It was hours before they were found. Ron was still sitting there in the mud, holding the cold, drenched body in his arms when Professor McGonagall approached. The two empty spaces at the Gryffindor table had been noticed, and she had gone out to search for them. She stood, speechless, looking on in disbelief at what she saw. "Ron...what happened?" she cried out.
Slowly, the redhead raised his eyes to look at his teacher. "She's not afraid anymore." he said simply. Not bothering to explain any futher, he stood, picking up Hermione's body as he did, and carried her back to Hogwarts.