"The Final Chapter"
"Hermione what happened to Ron," asked Harry worriedly. If only he had gone, maybe this would have never happened, if Hermione had not run away, if Voldemort never did his evil deeds maybe this would have never happened.
"He's fine Harry, he's just in the hospital wing where Madame Pomfrey has been tending to him," Hermione said somewhat shakily, her legs had turned into jelly and she was surprised to see that she had sat down on the floor, leaning against the wall. "They say that he might have to stay in the hospital wing for a while, and probably during the ball as well." Hermione made a point to make eye contact with Christina, Hermione's face was apologetic, not menacing.
"How are you doing," asked Christina whose eyes welling up with a small tear. "Are you all right? Are you hurt? Did Snape take any points away?"
"Yes, no, and no. McGonagall just banned me from the dance. It was either that or take 200 points away from Gryffindor."
"What!" Harry and Christina said in tandem.
"Not for the troll thing, for being outside on the grounds. I stayed at Hagrid's over the night. We had a talk." Hermione wrapped her arms about herself, and began slowly rocking back and forth. How could everything have gotten so horrible this year? Ron was in the hospital wing and it was her fault. All her fault.
"Well, I'll go and try to see Ron," Harry said as he stepped out of the shadows. "You two want to come along?" Christina shook her head, and so did Hermione.
Harry walked out of the Great Hall among others who had finished their breakfasts. Once Harry was out of sight Christina walked over and sat next to Hermione.
"You like Ron don't you," asked Christina unblinkingly to Hermione. Hermione was startled and began to choke on her own spit.
"Hack – what, how could you even think that! We're just friends." Christina intensified her gaze.
"So I do, what of it?" Hermione put her face in her hands, shaking her head.
"It's all right. I… I think that you should tell… Ron how you feel," Christina said, putting a hand on Hermione's shoulder which caused her head to pop up. "I know he likes you. I can see it in the way he looks at you."
Hermione looked up to Christina, with tears in her eyes, and streaking down her cheeks. Suddenly Hermione latched herself to Christina bawling loud enough to turn some heads.
"Oh Christina, I'm so sorry. I was so unkind to you, and you were just trying to fit in with us. I was just so jealous of you. You were able to show your feelings on your sleeve."
"I only say this because I think you love Ron. I only like Ron, but I think I could have grown to love him. You – you are in love with him. When he wakes up, you should be there and tell him how you feel.
Hospital Wing
"Hey Ron. It's me, Harry. Harry Potter," at this Harry chuckled. "Like there is another Harry in the school. I – I should have been there for you and Hermione. I stayed behind I was afraid of getting in trouble – what was I thinking? I've never been afraid of that since first year. I – I'm sorry Ron, I should have been there but I wasn't."
Ron's lips moved a bit, showing a small smile. Harry wondered if he heard him, and was answered immediately by Ron's whispering.
"So, the great Harry Potter admits to a fault on his part," Ron whispered, the smile still painfully obvious on his face. "But don't beat yourself up, I should have been paying attention to the tro – Argh!" Ron grabbed his chest and began coughing. "I should have been paying attention to the troll."
"I'll go and tell Hermione that you're awake." Harry gave Ron's hand a quick squeeze before he turned for the door.
"Don't tell her I'm awake, just tell her to see me," Ron said before he gave in to sleep. Harry nodded and then shook his head at his friend's stubbornness.
Hermione's dorm
Hermione poked her head through the door way into her room. There she was, the girl for whom she was looking, Lavender. It was she who agreed to help Hermione with her 'problem'. Lavender was sitting on her bed reading a Teen Witch magazine.
"Lavender, are you busy? I need that help I asked for right now." At those words Lavender's eyes lit up, her lips curved in an evident smile.
"Of course. Now, you like him right? Right," Lavender said all this too quickly for Hermione to respond to her question. "First we'll definitely have to do something with your hair. I don't know the straightening spell, so we'll have to do this muggle style." While she spoke she began to go through her trunk taking out things which made Hermione recoil a bit. "Then we'll have to change your wardrobe. How are you going to catch his eye if you keep everything covered up like that. Then –"
"Lavender, I – I think I'm in love with him." This caught Lavender off guard, whatever feelings she thought Hermione had for Ron she had no idea that it was love. Lavender shook her head suddenly to get her mind clear.
"Then there's only one thing to do, tell him how you feel." Lavender smiled as she walked passed a bemused Hermione, patting her on the shoulder.
Hermione lay on her bed. What is with everyone and telling me to tell Ron how I feel. How about he tells me how he feels first. No, they're right. If anything is to be done, I'll have to be the one to do it. Hermione sighed, kicked off her shoes and fell asleep.
Weeks passed and Hermione pondered over the choices that were lain before her, tell Ron how she feels and risk losing what they have, or not tell Ron, bottle up her emotions, and die alone. Throughout it all Lavender, Christina, and Hagrid visited Hermione to discuss her situation. Hagrid and Lavender thought it would be best to tell Ron right away, Christina on the other hand had another idea: tell him the night of the ball.
Night of the Ball.
Hermione entered the hospital wing, but it wasn't what Ron expected Hermione to look. He was expecting her to waltz in with her sparkling periwinkle blue dress, her magically straightened hair turned up in a magnificent bun, and her sparkling white, shrunken teeth shown in a bright smile mocking him. This Hermione was clad in her school clothes and bag, her hair was nice and bushy as usual, her shrunken teeth were shown in an unsure smile. What was she doing?
"Hermione," asked Ron, shielding his eyes from the new source of light. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you at the dance?" Ron pushed himself up into a sitting position on his bed.
Hermione closed the door and made her way toward Ron.
"I just came to talk to you," said Hermione, sitting on Ron's bed. She reached over and patted his leg. She then slowly directed her eyes to the floor.
"Ron… I have something to say," Hermione said turning her eyes over to Ron's face, which was for the most part emotionless, but seemed pained. "Please don't speak until I am finished. It will be easier for both of us, and then you may speak."
Ron remained silently staring into Hermione's eyes, only guessing what she's about to tell him. Definitely not expecting what she is about to tell him.
Hermione took a long deep breath, then sighed as she rose from Ron's bed and started to pace.
"Ron, our first year I was so happy to be a muggle born witch. I finally thought I'd fit in with the crowd. Of course I was ridiculed for being smart. I was never good at muggle studies, so I thought if I could do well as a witch everyone would like me, but I was wrong. When I first met you I didn't really like you." For some odd reason this brought a slight smile to Ron's lips.
Hermione started gesticulating. "And come Halloween I had come to hate you. Then came the troll ordeal I found myself liking you as a friend."
"I found myself liking you as a friend too Hermione," interjected Ron. Hermione put a finger to her lips before continuing.
"After the chess match… well… I – I found myself liking you in a more-than-a-friend manner." Ron remained silent, and absentmindedly rocked on his spot on the bed watching Hermione pace.
Hermione stepped through the flames, the tips of the flames tickling her skin. Once through the fire she caught sight of Ron lying on the floor, face down. She quickly made her way through the rubble of what was once a giant chess board to Ron.
Kneeling down beside Ron she lightly patted his face. His face was contorted in pain, he had a black left eye, caused by who knows what, a gash along the left of his cheek and blood trickling down from his forehead. She tenderly stroked the unmarred section of his face, forgetting all about getting a letter to Dumbledore, about her other friend going on to face Snape, practically risking his life to obtain the Philosopher's Stone.
"Ron please wake up. Wake up Ron please," stroking his face as she pleaded for him to awaken. She took her stroking hand and searched through his hair for the cut that was so severely causing him to bleed. She found the culprit in a few seconds, and decided that she should do something. She lay Ron on to the marble chessboard, stood, and took out her wand.
She pointed her wand to Ron's profusely bleeding wound, and muttered a short incantation. She knelt by Ron, and checked his wound again. She was surprised to find the wound was still open, but was somewhat relieved that the blood stopped gushing out, so she took a seat next to where Ron lay, and let her head lean back to the wall.
Judging by Ron's blood she hadn't stayed in the chess room for long, because it hadn't dried to his marred face. Hermione gathered the strength she could muster so she could stand. Glancing at her watch she saw it to be three minutes after she took a closed her tired eyes. A small rustling noise caught her attention. She froze, trying to sense from where the sound was coming.
"Hermione!"
Hermione nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of her name being yelled, in a room where the slightest sound was echoed. Ron, quick as a flash, was sitting upright, with a hand to his aching forehead.
"Ron thank goodness you're awake, we have to contact Dumbledore, I'll explain it to you on the way." Nodding his head halfway, he stopped after the first nod feeling excruciating pain stabbing his brain, he rose from his seat and followed Hermione.
"I went home glad that you were okay, I couldn't live with myself if you died. That was a reason I was so glad to go to your house for the summer before second year," Hermione said her voice becoming a little more than a whisper. "At night, at your house, I had – I had dreams about you… and me… together. When Malfoy called me – you know, you tried to curse him. It was one of the sweetest things anyone had ever done for me," she said the latter part in her normal tone. Ron's stare never wavered even when Hermione brought up her dreams about them.
"Harry told me what you did while I was petrified," whispered Hermione as she finally sat down on a chair. "Thank you." Finally Ron's gaze went to the floor.
"I was very fearful third year, when we had those huge rows over Crookshanks and Scabbers. I – was really afraid that our chances of being together were over. I had the same feelings in fourth year about the Yule Ball. I truly wanted nothing more than to go with you, but was afraid that if you didn't ask no one would. When you asked me out as a last resort and I snapped, that was because honestly I was hurt that I wasn't your first choice."
"It was only this year that I realized that my liking of you had grown as I progressed through the years. And now I think it has grown past liking," Hermione said, rising from her chair, her strength renewed as she finally steeled her self. Hermione reached over and grabbed Ron's hand, who obligingly allowed her.
"Ron… I love you."
Ron put his other hand on top of Hermione's, he looked her deep in the eyes, and opened his mouth.
Hermione was in a sweat, her hear pulsated inhumanly quick. He was about to say those words that every woman wanted to hear, what she wanted to hear ever since she knew she was in love with him, the words –
"So what?"
A/N: For those of you reading, this is not the last chapter. The title of this chapter is "The Final Chapter" . There will be at least one more chapter after this one. I'd like a review telling me whether or not you were fooled by the title of the chapter or not (and I know you were. Everyone was probably thinking: "Oh yes! It's finally going to be over, I can finally get away from this piece of trash he calls a fanfic." Yeah I know you were thinking that.) So just saying once again, there will be at least one more chapter. Remember flame if you feel the need.