Brick
Chapter Five: Gone
Author's Note: Review…review…did I mention review? Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Can't be pushy.
Disclamier: Now that we've established the fact that I have nothing, you should really consider listening to the Ben Folds Five song, "Brick." It's rad.
And I'm alone
Now I know it
It seemed as if each passing day moved faster and faster. Ron, still in denial, became slightly edgy one day when Hermione mentioned her will. This is crazy, he thought. 19-year-olds aren't supposed to have wills.
Hermione, however, had never seemed cheerier. Ron had no idea why, but his daily visits were no longer spent watching Hermione sleep.
"Aren't you tired, 'Mione?" He asked exactly two weeks after she had told him she was going to die.
"Of course I am, Ron. I just don't want to waste a single second. I don't want anything to be left unsettled." She replied briskly, a hint of her former childish, bossy tone apparent when she spoke.
"You're so brave," he croaked, the tears welling up in his eyes without warning. "I could never…I don't know how…you're amazing."
Hermione's eyes shone as she reached for his hand. "Ron, do you ever wonder why we never…" her voiced trailed off.
He shook his head, smiling. "None of that's important to me, Hermione. We made a decision and we stuck to it. I love you no matter what."
"I love you too." She whispered. "Ron?"
"Hmm?"
"Don't come here anymore. I don't want you to be here when I…"
He looked at her. "Are you crazy? Why?" He felt the tears flowing down his cheeks without realizing they were there. I'm such a basket case, he scolded himself mentally. Why can't I hide my emotions for once? I've never cried this much in my life.
She began to cry too. "Ron…please. It would be too much for you to bear. I don't want you to see it. It would hurt me too much. So this is the last time I'll ever see you."
"NO!" He yelled, crying loudly. He was surprised that nurses weren't swarming around, dragging him away.
"Ron, just hold me, please."
He crossed the room in three strides, gathering her in his arms. Her body was nothing more than a hollow shell, and he shuddered when he realized just how thin she was. Hermione's head rested on his chest, and she sighed as she sat still, holding his hand.
"I guess this is goodbye."
"It doesn't have to be."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
It was 2:30 A.M. Ron sat up in bed, alarmed, clutching the bed sheets around him. He looked around his room before realizing-she was gone. He didn't know how he knew, he just did. She was gone.
The next morning, Ron went down to breakfast. He wasn't the least bit surprised to see his family sitting solemnly at the table, rearranging their half eaten pieces of toast on their plates.
"Ron…" his mother started, her eyes red. She had obviously been crying.
"I know," he answered quietly.
He looked across the table at his family- Ginny, the twins, his father, and…Harry?
"Ron!" Harry scrambled out of his seat, throwing his arms around his friend. "I was too late, Ron. I tried to come, I did. I was too late."
"Harry, I…"
"It's okay, Ron. I just..." Harry began to cry, and Ron was surprised but pleased when Ginny appeared at Harry's side, putting her arms around his shoulders.
Arthur Weasley stood up and looked at his youngest son. He spoke in a quiet, gentle tone. "They say that when she…well, she had this in her hand." He handed Ron a small, crumpled piece of parchment.
With shaking hands, Ron took the parchment and unfolded it. He began to read.
Ron,
I wish with all my heart that none of this had ever happened. I wanted a future with you, I wanted to do so much. But I mustn't dwell on the past. Ron, I want you to be happy in your life. I will always love you, and I know that someday we will be together. I love you.
Hermione
Tears poured down Ron's face, and he found himself saying, "I need to be alone." He ran, ran from the house, as far as his feet would carry him. He stopped at a lake several miles from the Burrow, panting as he shakily removed a box from his pocket, a box he had been carrying for over a year. He removed a shiny ring from the box, looking at it before throwing it into the lake. Hermione's would-be engagement ring.
With a final desperate cry, he ripped up Hermione's note and slumped against the trunk of a large oak tree, panting slightly. Hermione was gone. His Hermione. She would never be back, ever.
And it wasn't fair.