Disclaimer: None of it's mine. If it was mine, I wouldn't be sitting here exhausted after doing graveyard shifts.
Chapter ten: "We'll do it together"
The next few weeks were hard ones for everyone. The new found relationship between Ron and Hermione seemed forgotten in the wake of the turmoil that had rocked the Wizarding World.
Cormelius Fudge, Ministry of Magic, had been murdered, by Death Eaters, in the middle of a busy steet in Cambridge, while better than a thousand shocked Muggles watched in horror. The Ministry was in uproar. Ron's dad had not been seen for more that an hour at a time since everything had started. He had taken over Fudge's duties, as well as his pwn, as well as supervising groups of wizards who were trying their hardest to set things back to normal in the Muggle world.
Ron had noted dully one day that even the twins looked scared now. That such catastrophes could happen that even Fred and George were affected scared Ron most of all.
They were not allowed to go outside. Arthur Weasley spent most of the time that he WAS home reinforcing hundreds of magical charms and shields he had placed around the house. Molly Weasley worked right beside him, her once plump figure guant.
One afternoon, Harry, Ron and Hermione sat idly in Ron's room, attempting to study for the schoolwork of the coming year. Even Hermione could only manage a few minutes of reading before breaking off and staring into space.
"Sometimes..."Harry began, and both Hermione and Ron looked at him expectantly, and Harry flushed a little, "Sometimes I feel like I don't know why any of us are doing this."
"Doing what, Harry? " asked Hermione worriedly.
Harry got up and paced around the room. "Any of this. Fighting against Voldemort. Putting protection around the house. Really, is there any use? Despite all our best efforts, terrible things keep happening. All of the people that have been killed, Fudge, Cedric, Hermione's parents...is it really worth it? Why are we still fighting? Maybe if we just surrender, Voldemort will stop the killing and just rule the world like he always wanted to."
Hermione and Ron just stared at him in shock. Neither of them knew what to say. Harry stared at them white-faced as if daring them to reply. When no reply came, he sighed and sat back down on the bed.
Ron ran his fingers through his hair,and looked around, his gaze finally falling on Hermione. She was so beautiful, he thought. He couldn't stand it if she was killed. Was Harry right? Was it better to just give in quietly, in hope the bloodshed would end?
"No!" Ron shouted and stood up. "We can't let it happen that way! Voldemort won't settle for just conquering us! He wants to destroy everything. He won't stop until he does! And if we just lay down and admit defeat, it makes us no better than the Death Eaters who gave into him a long time ago. And really, it makes us no better than Voldemort himself." Ron finished his impassioned speech, and for the first time in his life that he could remember, he did not blush as he waited for the others reaction.
Hermione looked at him, a sweet but sad smile slowly spreading across her face. (A/N alliteration,anyone?) "I love you, Ron," she whispered.
Ron crossed quickly to her and cupped her face in his hands. "I love you too, Hermione. I think I've always loved you. I'm just sorry it took me so long to notice."
"Well, you ARE rather a prat..." Hermione began, but was interrupted as Ron kissed her. The taste was bittersweet, but beautiful, and Ron poured every amount of feeling he could into it. It seemed as if fireworks went off, and bells rang, and Ron was in the process of marveling of how in the world he had ever got so lucky, when...
"Yuck!" cried Harry, who was luaghing now. "Could you two do that somewhere else? I'm about to lose my lunch."
They both opened their eyes and looked over at Harry, who had a pillow pointed at them.
"What's the pillow for?" Ron asked.
Harry smirked. "Just in case you didn't hear me," and ducked as Hermione threw a pillow at his head.
"You're right, Ron," Harry said a few minutes later, after all the pillow throwing had ceased. "I'm sorry for what I said. Of course we should fight. How else will we beat him? We'll all fight, and we'll win of course, and you and Hermione can get married and have tons of little red-headed children running around all over the place."
"What makes you think they'd be red-headed?" Hermione asked mock-indignantly, with a fond look at Ron.
"Everyone get down here right away!" came the voice of Mrs. Weasley then. They looked fearfully at each other and ran down the stairs.
Mrs. Weasley was holding a paper and was in a state somewhat between crying and laughing. "Look!" she said joyfully. "Just look."
Ron took the paper in shaking hands and read it aloud.
"You-Know-Who driven back" it said, "huge victory for the Ministry.
You-Know who was frightened into hiding this morning as the members of the Order of the Phoenix banded together in one mass effort. Little is known of how this was done, but Ministry officials have confirmed that neither You-Know-Who or his Death Eaters are anywhere to be found." Ron dropped the paper and was immediately surrounded by people, in a many-armed hug.
When the hug broke up, it was Ginny who said, "It doesn't mean he's gone forever though, does it? He was only driven back."
Harry looked at her and replied, "No, Ginny, he's not gone forever. But this has only given us more proof that we will win."
The three of them sat on hill overlooking the Burrow that night. The sun was setting, and everything was bathed in a soft pink light. "It's beautiful," Ron thought in wonder. Realizing how much he'd changed in the last few months
made him feel a momentary pang of loss. Looking at Hermione, though, made him realizes that all the changes were for the better, and he was now a stronger person because of them.
"It's going to be a hard year this year, isn't it?" Ron asked wistfully.
Hermione laid her head across his chest and grasped for Harry's hand. "Yes," she replied. "But we'll do it together."
The End
Warning: this A/N is going to be a little long. Skip it if you want, but humor me if you can.
A/N Well, I did it. It's not a masterpice, I know, but it's mine, and it's the first story I've completed since I was 12 years old. I have everyone to thank for that.
So, in no particular order...the credits! (Okay, the reviewers, but you know what I mean.)
DevilChild, nagini, glo_stick, ronnie's girl, lotr-fan, Trista_Setsuna, college girl, Josie Cozmic Alien, cecill, Katie Queen of the Killer Kittens,w&m_law, Jet, Su, Seeker 2000, sara, genabeeb, Emily, maxie, trina-k, Angel Eyez, Phoenix Tears, Sparklies 5, Fleur Hartz, (how DO you get that sqiggle in your name? I looked on my keyboard and couldn't find it) SaltineRitz, fantine, Adri, Ron's Babe, Danika, StarDust, Michelle Ravel, and carly. If I've forgotten anyone I apologize deeply.
Ant to my repeat reviewers who read every chapter and begged for more...thank you. You know who you are. I love ya!
I might write a sequel, but I'm taking a little while off first to read some of the stories I've been neglecting. So, many of you will probably hear from me soon!
Nikalee
Chapter ten: "We'll do it together"
The next few weeks were hard ones for everyone. The new found relationship between Ron and Hermione seemed forgotten in the wake of the turmoil that had rocked the Wizarding World.
Cormelius Fudge, Ministry of Magic, had been murdered, by Death Eaters, in the middle of a busy steet in Cambridge, while better than a thousand shocked Muggles watched in horror. The Ministry was in uproar. Ron's dad had not been seen for more that an hour at a time since everything had started. He had taken over Fudge's duties, as well as his pwn, as well as supervising groups of wizards who were trying their hardest to set things back to normal in the Muggle world.
Ron had noted dully one day that even the twins looked scared now. That such catastrophes could happen that even Fred and George were affected scared Ron most of all.
They were not allowed to go outside. Arthur Weasley spent most of the time that he WAS home reinforcing hundreds of magical charms and shields he had placed around the house. Molly Weasley worked right beside him, her once plump figure guant.
One afternoon, Harry, Ron and Hermione sat idly in Ron's room, attempting to study for the schoolwork of the coming year. Even Hermione could only manage a few minutes of reading before breaking off and staring into space.
"Sometimes..."Harry began, and both Hermione and Ron looked at him expectantly, and Harry flushed a little, "Sometimes I feel like I don't know why any of us are doing this."
"Doing what, Harry? " asked Hermione worriedly.
Harry got up and paced around the room. "Any of this. Fighting against Voldemort. Putting protection around the house. Really, is there any use? Despite all our best efforts, terrible things keep happening. All of the people that have been killed, Fudge, Cedric, Hermione's parents...is it really worth it? Why are we still fighting? Maybe if we just surrender, Voldemort will stop the killing and just rule the world like he always wanted to."
Hermione and Ron just stared at him in shock. Neither of them knew what to say. Harry stared at them white-faced as if daring them to reply. When no reply came, he sighed and sat back down on the bed.
Ron ran his fingers through his hair,and looked around, his gaze finally falling on Hermione. She was so beautiful, he thought. He couldn't stand it if she was killed. Was Harry right? Was it better to just give in quietly, in hope the bloodshed would end?
"No!" Ron shouted and stood up. "We can't let it happen that way! Voldemort won't settle for just conquering us! He wants to destroy everything. He won't stop until he does! And if we just lay down and admit defeat, it makes us no better than the Death Eaters who gave into him a long time ago. And really, it makes us no better than Voldemort himself." Ron finished his impassioned speech, and for the first time in his life that he could remember, he did not blush as he waited for the others reaction.
Hermione looked at him, a sweet but sad smile slowly spreading across her face. (A/N alliteration,anyone?) "I love you, Ron," she whispered.
Ron crossed quickly to her and cupped her face in his hands. "I love you too, Hermione. I think I've always loved you. I'm just sorry it took me so long to notice."
"Well, you ARE rather a prat..." Hermione began, but was interrupted as Ron kissed her. The taste was bittersweet, but beautiful, and Ron poured every amount of feeling he could into it. It seemed as if fireworks went off, and bells rang, and Ron was in the process of marveling of how in the world he had ever got so lucky, when...
"Yuck!" cried Harry, who was luaghing now. "Could you two do that somewhere else? I'm about to lose my lunch."
They both opened their eyes and looked over at Harry, who had a pillow pointed at them.
"What's the pillow for?" Ron asked.
Harry smirked. "Just in case you didn't hear me," and ducked as Hermione threw a pillow at his head.
"You're right, Ron," Harry said a few minutes later, after all the pillow throwing had ceased. "I'm sorry for what I said. Of course we should fight. How else will we beat him? We'll all fight, and we'll win of course, and you and Hermione can get married and have tons of little red-headed children running around all over the place."
"What makes you think they'd be red-headed?" Hermione asked mock-indignantly, with a fond look at Ron.
"Everyone get down here right away!" came the voice of Mrs. Weasley then. They looked fearfully at each other and ran down the stairs.
Mrs. Weasley was holding a paper and was in a state somewhat between crying and laughing. "Look!" she said joyfully. "Just look."
Ron took the paper in shaking hands and read it aloud.
"You-Know-Who driven back" it said, "huge victory for the Ministry.
You-Know who was frightened into hiding this morning as the members of the Order of the Phoenix banded together in one mass effort. Little is known of how this was done, but Ministry officials have confirmed that neither You-Know-Who or his Death Eaters are anywhere to be found." Ron dropped the paper and was immediately surrounded by people, in a many-armed hug.
When the hug broke up, it was Ginny who said, "It doesn't mean he's gone forever though, does it? He was only driven back."
Harry looked at her and replied, "No, Ginny, he's not gone forever. But this has only given us more proof that we will win."
The three of them sat on hill overlooking the Burrow that night. The sun was setting, and everything was bathed in a soft pink light. "It's beautiful," Ron thought in wonder. Realizing how much he'd changed in the last few months
made him feel a momentary pang of loss. Looking at Hermione, though, made him realizes that all the changes were for the better, and he was now a stronger person because of them.
"It's going to be a hard year this year, isn't it?" Ron asked wistfully.
Hermione laid her head across his chest and grasped for Harry's hand. "Yes," she replied. "But we'll do it together."
The End
Warning: this A/N is going to be a little long. Skip it if you want, but humor me if you can.
A/N Well, I did it. It's not a masterpice, I know, but it's mine, and it's the first story I've completed since I was 12 years old. I have everyone to thank for that.
So, in no particular order...the credits! (Okay, the reviewers, but you know what I mean.)
DevilChild, nagini, glo_stick, ronnie's girl, lotr-fan, Trista_Setsuna, college girl, Josie Cozmic Alien, cecill, Katie Queen of the Killer Kittens,w&m_law, Jet, Su, Seeker 2000, sara, genabeeb, Emily, maxie, trina-k, Angel Eyez, Phoenix Tears, Sparklies 5, Fleur Hartz, (how DO you get that sqiggle in your name? I looked on my keyboard and couldn't find it) SaltineRitz, fantine, Adri, Ron's Babe, Danika, StarDust, Michelle Ravel, and carly. If I've forgotten anyone I apologize deeply.
Ant to my repeat reviewers who read every chapter and begged for more...thank you. You know who you are. I love ya!
I might write a sequel, but I'm taking a little while off first to read some of the stories I've been neglecting. So, many of you will probably hear from me soon!
Nikalee