"Ron!" Hermione's eyes glowed with happiness.
Ron walked slowly towards her bed, almost not believing it was her. He reached out, touched her face, wiped away a tiny tear that was trickling down her cheek, ran his fingers through her hair. Suddenly his face lit up with emotion. " 'Mione, it's you! And youre okay, you're okay. You're back!"
Ron knelt down beside her bed just about crying with joy. He felt so full of emotion he was fit to burst.
Hermione shook him gently on the shoulder. "Ron, Ron?" she said gently. "Ron, come here. Why don't you lie down? Come here. You look absolutely exhausted. What have you been doing?"
"I've been studying for the O.W.L.s. While you were up here I took it upon myself to fill that empty space in the library." Ron smiled at her as he climbed into the hospital bed beside her.
"That was so sweet of you!" Hermione laughed. She let out a small yelp.
Ron sat up, his eyes wide. "What's wrong? Are you hurt? Did I do something wrong?"
"No nothing like that. Its just your feet are cold," she told him sheepishly.
Ron laughed. It was the first time he had laughed like that in months. It was a huge relief. He wrapped his arms around Hermione and held her close to him. She rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes. Even though she had recovered, she still felt rather drained.
"For a while I didn't know if you were going to be okay 'Mione" he whispered into her hair. "I knew that you weren't going to go.away. But I didn't know if you would be able to recover, if you wouldn't be able to feel things properly. Do you know what I mean?"
Hermione looked up at him. "You didn't know if I could love you? If I could feel that again?"
Ron nodded, his eyes cast down. "But-but you're okay. I can see it. I can see it in your eyes, in your smile. But it wouldn't have mattered. I promised myself. I promised you too. When you were lying here, I'd come and talk to you. And every single time I did, I promised that I wouldn't go anywhere, that I'd be here when you woke up, that I'd love you no matter what, even if you couldn't love me back."
Hermione reached up and laid a trembling hand on his cheek. "Ron, that's the most wonderful, most beautiful thing that anyone has ever done for me. You're so-so-there isn't a word for what you are. There isn't a word good enough."
Ron took Hermione's hand in his, and laid it over his heart. "Do you feel that 'Mione?" Hermione nodded. Ron's heart was thumping as if it wanted to escape the flesh that imprisoned it.
"I love you 'Mione. I could never leave you like that. I'd waste away without you."
Tears of joy began to escape Hermione's eyes. "I love you too Ron. I love you more than anything else in the world."
Hermione buried her face in Ron's robes and cried with joy. It hurt Ron physically to see her cry so, but he knew that they were tears of joy, and the only real way that she could express her joy.
So they lay there for close to an hour, Hermione crying and Ron holding her, cradling her head against his chest.
Hermione took a steadying breath and raised her head. "I'm so sorry Ron. I didn't mean to be like that."
Ron shook his head and smiled down at her. "It's okay. You're happy. That's all that matters." Ron put a finger underneath Hermione's chin and tilted her face up towards his own.
"You're so beautiful." He placed his other hand gently on her cheek. "I always thought that you looked so pretty when you were asleep over the past few months. Really peaceful. But I'd forgotten how lovely your eyes looked when you're happy. I'd forgotten how your face lights up when you smile. You're the most beautiful girl I've ever known. Not just outside. You're so kind, and so clever, and so, o brave. I saw you cast that spell when you were half driven insane by the Dementors. 'Mione, I've never seen strength like that."
It was all that Hermione could do not to start crying again. "Oh Ron. I'm so lucky to have someone like you. I feel like nobody thinks of me the way you do, and nobody understands me the way you do. I wish I could find all of the words to tell you what you mean to me, like you can. But I can't do it. They don't write books about this kind of thing either. And I'm no good at things that they don't have books for. But I can say that you mean more to me than anyone or anything else. And you're-just-perfect. I can't think of a better word. It's the only word that fits you."
She kissed him lightly on the lips and whispered in his ear. "I love you."
Ron, not wishing to spoil the wonderful moment that they had created whispered back, "I love you too."
He pushed away Hermione's hair from her eyes and kissed her, softly at first, still remembering her distress after what Draco had done to her. But soon, she pulled on the collar of his robes, pulling him closer to her.
At that moment she wanted nothing more than Ron's comforting weight holding her down and the feeling of his warm lips on hers.
Ron walked slowly towards her bed, almost not believing it was her. He reached out, touched her face, wiped away a tiny tear that was trickling down her cheek, ran his fingers through her hair. Suddenly his face lit up with emotion. " 'Mione, it's you! And youre okay, you're okay. You're back!"
Ron knelt down beside her bed just about crying with joy. He felt so full of emotion he was fit to burst.
Hermione shook him gently on the shoulder. "Ron, Ron?" she said gently. "Ron, come here. Why don't you lie down? Come here. You look absolutely exhausted. What have you been doing?"
"I've been studying for the O.W.L.s. While you were up here I took it upon myself to fill that empty space in the library." Ron smiled at her as he climbed into the hospital bed beside her.
"That was so sweet of you!" Hermione laughed. She let out a small yelp.
Ron sat up, his eyes wide. "What's wrong? Are you hurt? Did I do something wrong?"
"No nothing like that. Its just your feet are cold," she told him sheepishly.
Ron laughed. It was the first time he had laughed like that in months. It was a huge relief. He wrapped his arms around Hermione and held her close to him. She rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes. Even though she had recovered, she still felt rather drained.
"For a while I didn't know if you were going to be okay 'Mione" he whispered into her hair. "I knew that you weren't going to go.away. But I didn't know if you would be able to recover, if you wouldn't be able to feel things properly. Do you know what I mean?"
Hermione looked up at him. "You didn't know if I could love you? If I could feel that again?"
Ron nodded, his eyes cast down. "But-but you're okay. I can see it. I can see it in your eyes, in your smile. But it wouldn't have mattered. I promised myself. I promised you too. When you were lying here, I'd come and talk to you. And every single time I did, I promised that I wouldn't go anywhere, that I'd be here when you woke up, that I'd love you no matter what, even if you couldn't love me back."
Hermione reached up and laid a trembling hand on his cheek. "Ron, that's the most wonderful, most beautiful thing that anyone has ever done for me. You're so-so-there isn't a word for what you are. There isn't a word good enough."
Ron took Hermione's hand in his, and laid it over his heart. "Do you feel that 'Mione?" Hermione nodded. Ron's heart was thumping as if it wanted to escape the flesh that imprisoned it.
"I love you 'Mione. I could never leave you like that. I'd waste away without you."
Tears of joy began to escape Hermione's eyes. "I love you too Ron. I love you more than anything else in the world."
Hermione buried her face in Ron's robes and cried with joy. It hurt Ron physically to see her cry so, but he knew that they were tears of joy, and the only real way that she could express her joy.
So they lay there for close to an hour, Hermione crying and Ron holding her, cradling her head against his chest.
Hermione took a steadying breath and raised her head. "I'm so sorry Ron. I didn't mean to be like that."
Ron shook his head and smiled down at her. "It's okay. You're happy. That's all that matters." Ron put a finger underneath Hermione's chin and tilted her face up towards his own.
"You're so beautiful." He placed his other hand gently on her cheek. "I always thought that you looked so pretty when you were asleep over the past few months. Really peaceful. But I'd forgotten how lovely your eyes looked when you're happy. I'd forgotten how your face lights up when you smile. You're the most beautiful girl I've ever known. Not just outside. You're so kind, and so clever, and so, o brave. I saw you cast that spell when you were half driven insane by the Dementors. 'Mione, I've never seen strength like that."
It was all that Hermione could do not to start crying again. "Oh Ron. I'm so lucky to have someone like you. I feel like nobody thinks of me the way you do, and nobody understands me the way you do. I wish I could find all of the words to tell you what you mean to me, like you can. But I can't do it. They don't write books about this kind of thing either. And I'm no good at things that they don't have books for. But I can say that you mean more to me than anyone or anything else. And you're-just-perfect. I can't think of a better word. It's the only word that fits you."
She kissed him lightly on the lips and whispered in his ear. "I love you."
Ron, not wishing to spoil the wonderful moment that they had created whispered back, "I love you too."
He pushed away Hermione's hair from her eyes and kissed her, softly at first, still remembering her distress after what Draco had done to her. But soon, she pulled on the collar of his robes, pulling him closer to her.
At that moment she wanted nothing more than Ron's comforting weight holding her down and the feeling of his warm lips on hers.